The 551-foot long Imperator Aleksandr was interned at Bizerte by the French after it unloaded the White Russians (anti-Communist). It was later scrapped by them to pay for dock fees. Its guns were put into storage and later used by the Germans (at Guernsey Island) and Finns for coastal artillery. The Soviets and Finns continued to use the ship's guns into the Cold War.
The Aleksandr's main armament consisted of a dozen 12-inch guns mounted in four triple turrets.
These twelve guns were placed in storage in Bizerte. In June 1940, the French gave them to Finland. Eight made it safely to that country, but four were seized by Germany aboard the SS Nina when they invaded Norway April 1940.
About Those Russian-German Guns on Guernsey. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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