| Navy | The French Navy |
| Type | Large destroyer |
| Class | Guepard |
| Pennant | |
| Built by | Arsenal de Lorient (Lorient, France) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 14 Mar 1927 |
| Launched | 19 Apr 1928 |
| Commissioned | 13 Aug 1929 |
| End service | 27 Nov 1942 |
| History | Scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942 to prevent her capture by the Germans. |
We don't have any commands listed for FR Guepard
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Notable events involving Guepard include:
8 May 1940
Gu?pard departed Brest in escort of Convoy FP 5, en route Greenock, Scotland. Arrived at Greenock on 10 May. (1)
9 Jun 1941
Shortly after 0300 hours, the light cruiser HMS Phoebe (Capt. G. Grantham, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral E.L.S. King, CB, MVO, RN) was attacked but missed by the Vicy-French submarine Caiman off the Syrian coast.
Also during this day, between 0949 and 1010 hours, the Vichy-French destroyers Guepard and Valmy from Beirut bombarded Allied Army positions in Syria.
The destroyer HMS Janus (Cdr. J.A.W. Tothill, RN), alone off Sidon, engaged the French destroyers and was badly damaged in doing so. The destroyers HMS Hotspur (Lt. T.D. Herrick, DSC, RN), HMS Isis (Cdr. C.S.B. Swinley, DSC, RN), and HMS Jackal (Lt.Cdr. R.McC.P. Jonas, DSC, RN), which were nearby, then joined and managed to drive the French destroyers off.
Two more destroyers later joined as they had been close inshore for bombardment duties, these were HMS Kandahar (Cdr. W.G.A. Robson, DSO, RN) and HMS Kimberley (Lt.Cdr. J.S.M. Richardson, DSO, RN).
HMS Kimberley then took the badly damaged HMS Janus in tow towards Haifa screened by HMS Kandahar.
HMS Hotspur, HMS Isis and HMS Jackal meanwhile were in pursue of the Vichy-French destroyer which managed to return to Beirut. HMS Jackal sustained some minor damage from a shell hit during the action.
The damaged HMS Janus safely arrived at Haifa on the 10th. (2)
23 Jun 1941
While on patrol off Syria, HMS Naiad (Capt. M.H.A. Kelsey, DSC, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral E.L.S. King, CB, MVO, RN) and HMNZS Leander (Capt. R.H. Bevan, RN), HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN), HMS Kingston (Lt.Cdr. P. Somerville, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMAS Nizam (Lt.Cdr. M.J. Clark, RAN) encountered two Vichy French destroyers at 0150 hours (actually on the Guépard was present) and engaged 'them'.
The Guépard was damaged by British gunfire but managed to escape to Beirut after an action which lasted barely 15 minutes.
The British ships, of which none had sustained any damage, returned to Haifa around 0645 hours. (3)
Sources
- Personal communication
- ADM 53/114865 + ADM 199/415
- ADM 53/114751
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.