Jean Bart
The French battleship Jean Bart, photogaphed by sailor Photographers Mate Third Class Bill Wade from an airplane of the USS Ranger
On 8 November 1942, during Operation Torch, the French fleet in Casablanca was attacked by American warships and warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). The Jean Bart went into a gun battle with the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59). The Jean Bart suffered hits from several aerial bombs and 16-inch (406 mm) shells. On the 10th, the Jean Bart opened fire again on the cruiser USS Augusta, much to the surprise of the American naval officers - who thought that the Jean Bart had been silenced by her heavy damage. This gunfire drew action from the warplanes of the USS Ranger, and the Jean Bart suffered two more hits by 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. These opened a leak in her hull, forcing her to be run aground by her Captain. Combat was over by that evening, and along with the rest of French forces in North Africa, she surrendered and then took sides with the Allies of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Jean Bart
The French battleship Jean Bart, photogaphed by sailor Photographers Mate Third Class Bill Wade from an airplane of the USS Ranger
On 8 November 1942, during Operation Torch, the French fleet in Casablanca was attacked by American warships and warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). The Jean Bart went into a gun battle with the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59). The Jean Bart suffered hits from several aerial bombs and 16-inch (406 mm) shells. On the 10th, the Jean Bart opened fire again on the cruiser USS Augusta, much to the surprise of the American naval officers - who thought that the Jean Bart had been silenced by her heavy damage. This gunfire drew action from the warplanes of the USS Ranger, and the Jean Bart suffered two more hits by 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. These opened a leak in her hull, forcing her to be run aground by her Captain. Combat was over by that evening, and along with the rest of French forces in North Africa, she surrendered and then took sides with the Allies of the United States and the United Kingdom.