TheForce X was a squadron of theFrench Navy, assembled on 29 April 1940,[1] after the outbreak of theSecond World War, to deter Italy from striking in theLevantine Sea.[2] It consisted of the oldbattleshipLorraine; the three modern heavy cruisersDuquesne,Tourville andSuffren;[1] the light cruiserDuguay-Trouin; three destroyersBasque,Forbin,Fortuné; and the submarineProtée.[3][4][2]
Under AdmiralGodfroy, the squadron departedToulon on 25 April 1940, arriving atAlexandria on24 May,[2] where she met with her British counterpart under Admiral SirAndrew Cunningham.
On 4 July 1940, a secret order from British Prime MinisterChurchill,Operation Catapult, tasked the Royal Navy to destroy, neutralise or capture French naval forces.[4] Godfroy and Cunningham having a trusting relationship, and their families being related by alliance, they engaged in negotiations and managed a compromise,[5] whereby French ships would remove fuel from their bunkers and firing mechanisms from their weapons, and the remaining crews would not attempt to escape; in return, Cunningham promised to repatriate most of the crews,[3] accepted that the ships retain their French commanding officers, and would not be scuttled.[1][6] The heavy cruiserDuquesne would be allowed to radio official messages, and private messages once a week.[1] On the occasion, several officers deserted to join the Free French, such as CommanderAuboyneau,[7] or Lieutenant-Commanderd'Estienne d'Orves[4][8] and his companions Roger Barberot[9] and André Patou.[10] The ships were then interned at Alexandria with skeleton crews. Godfroy and Cunningham signed the convention on 7 July, and renewed it on 20 June 1942.[1]
On 30 May 1943, following the invasion of the so-called Free Zone by the Nazis, the whole of Force X joined the Allies.[2] Admiral Godfroy was thus granted authorisation from the British to put to sea, and put his forces at the disposal of the provisional government in Algiers, as theFrench Committee of National Liberation was put in place. The squadron rallied Dakar through theSuez Canal andCape Town, before arriving atAlgiers.[11] Upon his arrival, Godfroy, suspected of favouring GeneralGiraud over De Gaulle, was retired[4] by decree in December 1943.[6]
