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fighting ships of the world

FRENCH NAVY (FRANCE)

TORPEDO SHIPS

SURCOUF destroyers (1955 - 1957)

Kersaint 1963

Surcouf 1963

Vauquelin 1970

Surcouf 1970

Dupetit-Thouars 1970

D'Estrees 1980

Dupetit-Thouars 1980

Du Chayla 1990

Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
Surcouf D621   Arsenal de Lorient 16.7.1951 3.10.1953 1.11.1955 stricken 5.1972
Kersaint D622   Arsenal de Lorient 1.12.1951 3.10.1953 20.3.1956 stricken 3.1984
Cassard D623   A C Bretagne, Nantes 11/1951 12.5.1953 14.4.1956 stricken 6.1976
Bouvet D624   Arsenal de Lorient 16.6.1952 25.9.1954 13.5.1956 stricken 6.1983
Dupetit-Thouars D625   Arsenal de Brest 24.3.1952 4.2.1954 15.9.1956 stricken 8.1988
Chevalier Paul D626   F C de la Gironde, Bordeaux 2/1952 28.7.1953 22.12.1956 stricken 7.1971
Maillé-Brézé D627   Arsenal de Lorient 9.10.1953 2.7.1955 4.5.1957 stricken 4.1988
Vauquelin D628   Arsenal de Lorient 8.3.1954 2.7.1955 3.11.1956 stricken 4.1987
D'Estrées D629   Arsenal de Brest 6.10.1953 27.11.1954 19.3.1957 stricken 7.1985
Du Chayla D630   Arsenal de Brest 7/1953 27.11.1954 4.6.1957 stricken 11.1991
Casabianca D631   F C de la Gironde, Bordeaux 10/1953 13.11.1954 4.5.1957 stricken 12.1984
Guépratte D632   A C Bretagne, Nantes 8/1953 8.11.1954 6.6.1957 stricken 8.1985

 

Displacement standard, t

2750

Displacement full, t

3740

Length, m

128.6

Breadth, m

12.7

Draught, m

5.40

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 sets Rateau geared steam turbines, 4 Indret boilers

Power, h. p.

63000

Max speed, kts

34

Fuel, t

oil 800

Endurance, nm(kts) 5000(18)

Armament

3 x 2 - 127/54 Mod 1948, 3 x 2 - 57/60 Mod 1951, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, 4 x 3 - 550 TT (18)

Electronic equipment

DRBV-20A, DRBV-11, DRBC-11, 2x DRBC-30 radars, DUBV-1, DUBA-1 sonars

Complement

347

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.

Modernizations: 1961, Surcouf; 1962, Cassard, Chevalier Paul as command ships: - 1 x 2 - 57/60(fwd); bridge was extended

early 1960s, D'Estrées: - DUBV-1, DUBA-1 sonars; + new bow-mounted and VDS sonars

1962, Cassard: + helicopter deck

1962-1965, Dupetit-Thouars, Kersaint, Bouvet, Du Chayla: new armament consisted of 1 x 1 Tartar SAM (40 RIM-24), 3 x 2 - 57/60 Mod 1951, 2 x 3 - 550 TT (6 short L3), 1 x 6 - 375 Bofors Mk 54 ASWRL, sensors were DRBV-20A, SPS-39A, DRBC-11, 2x DRBC-30, 2x SPG-51 radars, DUBV-1, DUBA-1 sonars

1968-1970, Maillé-Brézé, Vauquelin, D'Estrées, Casabianca, Guépratte: new armament consisted of 1 x 1 Malafon ASuM (13? Malafon), 2 x 1 - 100/55 Mod 1953, 2 x 3 - 550 TT (6 short L3), 1 x 6 - 375 Bofors Mk 54 ASWRL, sensors were DRBV-22A, DRBV-50, DRBV-11, DRBC-11, 2x DRBC-32A radars, DUBV-23, DUBV-43 (VDS) sonars, ARBR/ARBA-10C ECM suite, length oa was 132.5m, complement 260, full displacement 3900t

1968-1972, Dupetit-Thouars, Kersaint, Bouvet, Du Chayla: - SPS-39A radar; + SPS-39B radar, ARBR/ARBA-10C ECM suite, SENIT-2 CCS

1979, Dupetit-Thouars, Du Chayla: - DRBV-20A radar; + DRBV-22A radar, complement was 277

Naval service: No significant events.

Kersaint 1976

Casabianca 1979

© Ivan Gogin, 2015