FRENCH NAVY (FRANCE)

Project history: Larger than other contemporary European destroyers, the T 47 class, authorized 1949-52, were clearly in direct line of succession to French prewar construction. In mission, layout, and in the calibre adopted for their main armament, they bear a particularly close resemblance to the Le Hardi class.

    Designated escorteur d'escadre, the T 47 was designed to give AAW protection to the new carriers and other fleet units. A 127mm calibre was adopted for the main armament to enable the ships to use standard US ammunition, and this was backed up by a heavy secondary battery of 57mm twin AA mountings of a new pattern. The inclusion of a heavy AA battery in addition to the dual-purpose main armament was a response to the weakness of French prewar-built ships in this respect, and was also responsible for the increase in length compared with Le Hardi.

    In the original plans little provision was made for ASW operations beyond the traditional depth-charge racks. A single quadruple bank of 550mm anti-ship torpedo tubes was to be mounted on the centreline between the after groups of 127mm and 57mm mountings. After considering the American Hedgehog and the British Squid it was finally decided to fit the ship with four triple banks of tubes, mounted along the deck edge on either side, of which the forward pair would fire L3 anti-submarine homing torpedoes and the after pair either L3 ASW or K2 anti-ship torpedoes. Immediately abaft each bank of ASW tubes was a ready-use locker containing three reloads. Hull sonars of French design were fitted.

    In recognition of the increased threat from the air the T 47 was to carry a new generation of French radars. Initially it was intended to fit the ships with a tall British-pattern lattice mast carrying the DRBV-20A air search antenna, but in the event twin tripods with lattice supports were fitted, the second of which carried a DRBV-11 surface/air search radar. A single FC director was fitted for the main armament, with a second director aft for the 57mm.

    As the new fleet escorts were designed to operate in company with the carriers and were not expected to engage in independent operations against hostile surface units, high speed was a less important consideration than it was for the prewar torpilleurs and contre-torpilleurs. The hull was entirely welded and light alloy was used extensively in the upperworks to reduce topweight. The ships were assembled using eighty-four prefabricated sections.