Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:52:23-2:53:05

What happens if a Suffren-class cruiser meets Kongō?

A lone French cruiser would be outmatched, but doctrine expected it to bring other cruisers and a capital ship into a group action.

Alliance WarfareCruiser TacticsKongo Class BattlecruisersSuffren Class Cruisers
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Question

What would happen if a Suffren-class cruiser encountered a Kongō-class battlecruiser?

Short answer

Alone it would be lost, but French doctrine expected the cruiser to operate with a pack and supporting capital ship rather than fight Kongō by itself.

Notes

A Suffren-class cruiser caught alone by a Kongō-class capital ship would be in grave danger. French doctrine did not intend that matchup to occur in isolation. The cruiser should be part of a pack that included several eight-inch ships and a fast battleship or British battlecruiser. The relevant comparison is force package against force package rather than cruiser against capital ship.