French destroyer Siroco (1939)

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For other ships with the same name, see French ship Siroco.

Sister ship Le Hardi at anchor
History
France
NameLe Corsaire
Namesake
Corsair
Ordered24 May 1937
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer
Laid down31 March 1937
Launched14 November 1939
In service1 July 1941
RenamedSiroco, 1 April 1941
Captured27 November 1942
FateScuttled, 27 November 1942
General characteristics
Class and typeLe Hardi-class destroyer
Displacement
Length117.2 m (384 ft 6 in) (
o/a
)
Beam11.1 m (36 ft 5 in)
Draft3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Installed power
  • 4
    forced-circulation boilers
  • 58,000 
    kW; 57,207 shp
    )
Propulsion
Speed37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph)
Range3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement187 officers and enlisted men
Armament

Siroco was one of a dozen

scuttled by the Germans in late 1944 and later scrapped
.

Design and description

The Le Hardi class was designed to escort the fast

kW; 57,207 shp), which was intended to give the ships a maximum speed of 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph). Le Hardi, the only ship of the class to run sea trials, comfortably exceeded that speed during her trials on 6 November 1939, reaching a maximum speed of 39.1 knots (72.4 km/h; 45.0 mph) from 60,450 metric horsepower (44,461 kW; 59,623 shp). The ships carried 470 metric tons (463 long tons) of fuel oil which gave them a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The crew consisted of 10 officers and 177 enlisted men.[3]

The main armament of the Le Hardi-class ships consisted of six

depth charges.[4]

Construction and career

Ordered on 24 May 1937, Le Corsaire was built by

laid down on 31 March 1938 and launched on 14 November 1939. The ship was 82% complete and without her guns when the French surrendered on 22 June. Nonetheless, Le Corsaire joined a convoy bound for Oran, French Algeria, that day. After the British attacked French Navy ships in nearby Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July, Le Corsaire joined up with her sister ship Casque and they reached Toulon on 7 July.[5]

On 1 April 1941, Le Corsaire was renamed Siroco to commemorate the destroyer of that name that was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 and entered service on 1 July, although she was placed in reserve. When the Germans occupied Vichy France on 27 November 1942, Sciroco was scuttled by her crew. The Italians refloated her on 16 April 1943 and redesignated her as FR32. The ship was towed to Genoa, Italy, on 10 June where she was captured by the Germans in September; she was scuttled there on 20 October 1944 as a blockship and later scrapped.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 180–181
  2. ^ Chesneau, p. 270
  3. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 180–186, 190
  4. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 186–190
  5. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 182, 231–233, 236
  6. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 182, 236–237, 249; Rohwer, p. 272; Whitley, p. 52

References

  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press.
    ISBN 0-85177-146-7
    .
  • Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.
    ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4
    .
  • ISBN 1-59114-119-2
    .
  • ISBN 0-87021-326-1
    .
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