An item referred to ALUSNA, London, England 19 December reporting that the French warship Gueydon camouflaged as a German Hipper-class cruiser was being towed in southeast direction off/northsoutheast De Poulmic in the harbour of Brest, France. The J.I.C. commented that a so-called warship was built in 1897, measured 8,189 tons, in 1926 converted into a fire control ship and condemned in 1935. The Germans seemed to be used it as a decoy ship. [is was the Prinz Eugen](1)
Note
1. Part of the Gueydon-class armoured cruisers consisting of the Gueydon, Dupetit-Thouars and Montcalm, preceded by Jeanne d'Arc succeeded by Dupleix-class, designed by naval architect Emile Bertin (23 March 1840 Nancy, France-22 October 1924 La Glacerie, Manche, France), launched by Arsenal de Toulon, France on 20 September 1899, commissioned on 1 September 1903 and sunk in an air attack by the British RAF on 13 and 14 August 1944 to prevent her being used as a blockship. Her hull together with 2 aged French sloops was indeed used by the Germans as a deco-dummy for the German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The latter was lying docked in Brest. Her displacement was 9,548 tonnes.
Source
Map Room Papers (Roosevelt Administration), 1942 - 1945. U.S. Joint Intelligence Committee. Daily summary No. 11 dated 21 December 1941.
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