The French were pleased with the Duguay Trouin class ships, they were very good fleet cruisers. What the French now needed was a class of smaller 5-6,000 tons with moderate armament, long range, and medium speed. Something equivalent to the Royal Navy 'D' class. In the planning rooms of the Navy were two designs dated 1914 for just such cruisers. 5-6,000 ton scouts. These plans were brought out dusted off, updated and signed off for production.
The original designs above featured eight of the new 5.5" guns (maybe 6"). Four inline and then four in casemates, two on each broadside. Everyone knows I love my reusable weapons. In France, by stripping out the twin 6.4" from the 1904-05 armoured cruisers and battleships, as many of these light cruisers could be built as required. (By my count I had 36 twin 6.4" turrets, ergo France could have built up to 12 of these handy little cruisers).
The first pair were laid down in 1926, the next pair in 1928 and the last pair in 1930. The last ships being completed in 1933. For the first two years of each pairs service they were sent out to Indo-China where they spent time chasing pirates and putting down local insurrections - usually by killing a chieftain or two. Once their internship out in the East was finished, the ships could be found patrolling anywhere the French Marine National might be plying their trade. The 1930's rolled by with the ships going into World War Two in the same state as they were built with. About the only change was to upgrade the old 25mm cannons with more modern 20mm Hispano-Suiza models.
The start of WW2 had one in the East, one in the Indian Ocean, two in the South Atlantic, One in the West Indies and the last in the Mediterranean. The two in the East and Indian Ocean chased German merchantmen and either captured them or forced them to scuttle their valuable cargoes. The two in the South Atlantic took part in the retaking of the Falklands Islands. The last two moved into the North Atlantic running patrols to intercept German ships.
Jules Ferry is south-west of Ireland heading for Brest when a warship is spotted coming towards them. The Captain orders the signal 'What ship' when the question is answered by a ripple of orange as a Germanic States raider opens fire. 12" shell splashes surround the Jules Ferry and its Captain knows he is in trouble. The German ship will outrange his old guns by thousands of yards, all he can do is run and scream. The ship heads south at full speed. The Captain asks for the identity of the chasing ship, "we think it is the Ostereich, Captain". It could have been worse. The Ostereich is rated at 31 knots, the Jules Ferry at 30. On a good day the Jules Ferry could make 32 knots with all the taps wide open. As long as the Captain could avoid receiving damage to his ship he might yet escape or call the hunters down on the Ostereich. The Captain receives a reply to his screams. "From: Admiral Force M, change heading to South-west and maintain best speed, we will be with you in just over an hour". The Captain had seen Force M in Brest at his last call at that port for fuel. An aircraft carrier (Guynemer), a battleship (Dunkerque 16"), a battlecruiser (Toulouse) and a pair of cruisers. More than a match for the Ostereich. The Ostereich must have picked up the wireless transmissions from Force M and their direction. The course change of the Jules Ferry could mean that something bigger than the Ostereich was coming. Two and two still makes four. The Ostereich's Captain ordered his ship away to the North at best speed and watched what he thought was going to be an easy kill for his ship, fade away to the south. Three days later the Ostereich was trapped between the French Force M and the Commonwealth Force D coming south and sunk by aircraft.