Richelieu 1943 plastic boat model

Constructed by the Brest Arsenal, the Richelieu was launched on January 17, 1939.

Its trials took place in the spring of 1940 during the war, and it immediately sailed to Dakar. After the Armistice and two years of waiting, it set sail for New York where it received new close-range anti-aircraft artillery and modern detection devices.

In August 1943, it left the Brooklyn Arsenal for North Africa and was incorporated into the Home Fleet, based at Scapa Flow, from where it participated in raids on the Norwegian coast. In March 1944, it was designated to reinforce the Eastern Fleet based in Ceylon. It played an active role in wartime operations in the waters of Malaysia and distinguished itself particularly in the bombing of Sabang (Sumatra).

In October, it returned to Toulon and underwent modernization work in Casablanca and dry-docking in Gibraltar, before returning to Ceylon. After a stint in Indochina, it returned to France on February 11, 1946, where it took part in various exercises, and on April 15, 1947, it transported the President of the Republic to Dakar.