Why France used captured German cruisers after 1918

Did France use the captured German training cruiser Thionville and the other transferred German ships?

Yes; France used them in part because the inherited hulls postponed the need to build replacements.

France did employ the German ships it received after the First World War, including the training cruiser identified here as Thionville. The transferred hulls provided immediate training and auxiliary value. Their continued service also filled places in the fleet inventory at little initial construction cost. Retaining them let a cash-conscious navy postpone admitting that purpose-built replacements were necessary.