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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I am once again presenting a unique vessel from the French fleet during the Second World War: the oceanographic research vessel Président Théodore Tissier.
Designed beginning in 1932, the Président Théodore Tissier was the first oceanographic vessel operated by the French merchant marine. She entered service in 1933 and was equipped to conduct scientific surveys on behalf of the Fisheries Office. During her early career, the vessel took part in several scientific expeditions, including missions off the coast of Newfoundland in 1934 and 1935.
In 1938, the vessel was transferred to the École Navale (Naval Academy), based at Lanvéoc in the Brest roadstead. There, she was assigned as a training ship for future officers of the French Navy.
When the Battle of France began in 1940 and German forces advanced across the country, the Président Théodore Tissier was called upon for a very different mission. She took part in the evacuation of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, transporting French and Scottish troops to England. The vessel reached Britain shortly after the French armistice and was subsequently seized by the British on July 3, 1940.
Following the creation of the Free French Forces, the training of new personnel quickly became an important issue. The Free French Naval Forces (FNFL) had no dedicated facilities prepared to accommodate and train the growing number of volunteers joining their ranks.
The initial solution was to use the cruiser Courbet as a training ship. However, as a full-sized warship requiring a large crew, Courbet proved impractical for this role. The Président Théodore Tissier was therefore requisitioned and commissioned for training duties, becoming the main naval training establishment of the FNFL.
Based at Portsmouth, the vessel spent the remainder of the war training future French naval personnel. Her role was particularly important in providing the FNFL with a dedicated platform for instruction and preparing new crews and officers for service alongside the Allies.
Following the end of the war, the Président Théodore Tissier was returned to the Fisheries Department. She subsequently resumed her original role as an oceanographic research vessel, once again operating in the North Atlantic and continuing the scientific work for which she had originally been designed.
Characteristics
Length : 57.00 m
Width : 8.90 m
Draught : 4.96 m
Mass : 945 tons
The vessel is powered by a single 800 hp MAN engine driving a single propeller shaft, allowing it to reach a speed of 11 knots. It has an operational range of 24,000 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots.
Weapons
The ship’s armament is modest, yet sufficient to effectively engage small vessels. It features a 75mm gun mounted on a 360-degree rotating turret at the bow. Additionally, the ship is equipped with a 7.65mm machine gun for defense against aircraft.
In-game, this vessel would be a fun little addition to the French coastal tree; it is an imposing ship with very light armament, relying on its sheer size—which makes it difficult to sink—to survive repeated attacks.
