Development In 1946 and 1947, the French Navy planned to have six conventional and six anti-air cruisers; afterward, the navy only managed to complete and build the new
Colbert, authorized in 1953 with the project designation "C53". In 1967,
Colbert conveyed President de Gaulle to
Canada for
Expo 67. The visit was cut short after De Gaulle provoked an
international incident by delivering a
speech supporting
Quebec separatism.
Post-refit Colbert was modernized and converted into a missile cruiser from 1970 to 1972. The 127mm guns were replaced by the
Masurca surface-to-air missile system and 100mm dual-purpose guns. ==References==