French destroyer L'Adroit (1927)
 L'Adroit in the 1930s
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | L'Adroit |
| Ordered | 25 November 1924 |
| Builder | Dunkerque |
| Laid down | 26 April 1925 |
| Launched | 1 April 1927 |
| Completed | 1 July 1929 |
| In service | October 1929 |
| Fate | Sunk, 21 May 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | L'Adroit-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,380 t (1,360 long tons) (standard) |
| Length | 107.2 m (351 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range | 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Crew | 9 officers, 153 crewmen (wartime) |
| Armament |
|
The French destroyer L’Adroit was the lead ship of her class of destroyers built for the French Navy during the 1920s.
Design and description
The L'Adroit class was a slightly enlarged and improved version of the preceding
The main armament of the L'Adroit-class ships consisted of four Canon de 130 mm Modèle 1924 guns in single mounts, one superfiring pair each fore and aft of the superstructure. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of a pair of Canon de 37 mm Modèle 1925 guns. The ships carried two above-water triple sets of 550-millimeter (21.7 in) torpedo tubes. A pair of depth charge chutes were built into their stern; these housed a total of sixteen 200-kilogram (440 lb) depth charges. In addition two depth charge throwers were fitted for which six 100-kilogram (220 lb) depth charges were carried.[2]
Construction and career
L’Adroit ("the skilful one") was built at
On 21 May 1940 she was critically damaged in an attack by German He 111 bombers. Captain Henri Dupin de Saint-Cyr beached the ship near the commune Malo-Les-Bains. Sitting on the beach, the wreck later suffered an explosion in the forward magazine, which created a huge gap between bridge and bow. All crewmembers survived.[4][5]
In popular culture
For the 2017 film Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan, the wreck of L'Adroit was reconstructed as a model. For filming, it was placed in the sea, close to the beach at the commune Malo-les-Bains.[6]
Notes
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 3
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 3
- ^ Whitley p48
- ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4, p. 227,228.
- ^ L’Adroit at uboat.net
- ^ ""Dunkirk" : l'épave de l'"Adroit" reconstituée pour les derniers jours de tournage" france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr, 20 June 2016
References
- Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4.
- Roberts, John (1980). "France". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 255–279. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
External links
