French cruiser Colbert

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The C611 Colbert was an anti-air cruiser, later transformed into a missile cruiser, of the French Navy. She was the sixth French warship to bear the name, after the minister of Louis XIV Jean-Baptiste Colbert.

Related Topics:
French Navy - Jean-Baptiste Colbert

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She was the second of the series of the De Grasse, and became the flagship of the squadron of the Mediteranean Sea in Toulon. In June 1967, she ferried General De Gaulle to Canada (at his occasion he said his famous "vive le Québec libre").

Related Topics:
De Grasse - De Gaulle

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Between 1970 and 1972, she undertook extensive modifications in Brest to become a missile cruiser. Her only war mission was the Gulf War (operation "Salamandre") just before she was decommissioned.

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She is now a museum in Bordeaux.

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