The cruiser transported Sautot from the New Hebrides and then patrolled off New Caledonia to deter the Vichy-aligned sloop Dumont d'Urville. A collision with the merchant ship Coptic caused only minor damage en route, although it later produced a civil claim against the Australian government. Adelaide's presence gave the Free French transfer of authority a warship powerful enough to overmatch the local Vichy naval threat. The operation shows a cruiser using mobility and implied force to shape political control without a naval battle.
Chapter · 45:08-46:46
Adelaide supports Free French control of New Caledonia
In September 1940 Adelaide carried Henri Sautot to New Caledonia and stood offshore as Free French authority was established.