Guided Missile Cruiser "Colbert" C611

The Colbert, named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's Minister of the Navy, was a cruiser of the French Navy, in service from 1956 to 1991. Identified by the callsigns C 611 and FAUC, she was converted into a museum ship in Bordeaux from 1993 to 2007, then dismantled in Bassens between 2016 and 2018.

This ship, the sixth to bear this name and the second cruiser, was primarily intended for anti-aircraft warfare. Construction began in 1953 in Brest, with a powerful artillery system consisting of 127 mm and 57 mm turrets. Her motto was "Perite et recte" ("With skill and uprightness").

The Colbert succeeded the cruiser De Grasse, with similar specifications but notable differences in hull and machinery. These two ships marked the pinnacle of French anti-aircraft cruisers, equipped with guns and radars for air defense and the coordination of naval operations.

Launched in 1956 and in active service in 1959, the Colbert was based in Toulon and served as the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron until 1969. She played an important representative role, notably repatriating the ashes of Marshal Lyautey in 1961 and accompanying General de Gaulle on his travels, including the one to Canada in 1967, where de Gaulle pronounced "Long live free Quebec!"

In 1970, the Colbert was modernized to become a guided missile cruiser, adapted to new aerial threats. She participated in humanitarian and diplomatic missions, and her only war mission was during the first Gulf War in 1991. Initially scheduled to remain in service until 1997, she was decommissioned in 1991 due to her high fuel and crew consumption.

The Colbert became a floating museum in Bordeaux in 1993, attracting many visitors with exhibitions and guided tours. She encountered local criticism and financial difficulties, particularly due to her costly maintenance. The Colbert, closed to the public in 2006, was towed to Landévennec in 2007. In 2016, she was moved to Bassens for dismantling, a process completed in 2018.