the Vauquelins had their anti-aircraft armament augmented, although shortages mean that most of the ships differed from each other. In general, the mainmast and the auxiliary fire-control position was replaced by a platform for a single 37-millimeter twin-gun mount and two of the single 37-millimeter mounts were transferred to the platform while the other two single mounts were removed. In addition each ship received two or four Browning 13.2-millimeter AA machine guns. Le Chevalier Pauls refit in January 1941 was the first to be completed and she had four 37-millimeter guns in a twin-gun mount and two singles, two single mounts for the Brownings and her original four Hotchkiss machine guns in a pair of twin-gun mounts. This was also the configuration for Tartu and Cassard. Vauquelin kept her two twin-gun 37-millimeter mounts and her original Hotchkiss mounts, and added three single Brownings. Kersaint reverted to her four original single 37-millimeter mounts, but exchanged her Hotchkiss guns for four single Brownings and also received three Hotchkiss Modèle 1925 AA guns in single mounts. Ships Service Kersaint, Vauquelin, and Maillé Brézé were initially assigned to the 2nd Squadron (), based in Brest while the other three were sent to the 1st Squadron () in Toulon. All six ships were consolidated in the 1st Squadron in October 1934. After the start of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Kersaint and Cassard were among the ships assigned to evacuate French citizens from Spain and later to patrol the surveillance zones assigned to France. After September most of the and destroyers in the Mediterranean were assigned these tasks on a monthly rotation as part of the non-intervention policy. On 27 August 1939, in anticipation of war with Nazi Germany, the French Navy planned to reorganize the Mediterranean Fleet into the of three squadrons. When France declared war on 3 September, the reorganization was ordered and the 3rd Light Squadron, which included the 5th and 9th Scout Divisions () with all of the Vauquelin-class ships, was assigned to the 3rd Squadron. The ships of the 9th Scout Division were assigned to escort duties in the Western Mediterranean in early October, although they occasionally escorted ships in the Atlantic as well. Cassard was detached for several months to help search for German commerce raiders and blockade runners in the Atlantic. Vauquelin and Maillé Brézé escorted a pair of cruisers to Dakar, French West Africa, in