French destroyer Tornade

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sister ship Ouragan underway before 1942
History
France
NameTornade
NamesakeTornado
Ordered5 March 1923
BuilderDyle et Bacalan
Laid down25 April 1923
Launched12 March 1925
Completed10 May 1928
Commissioned1 October 1927
In service21 May 1928
General characteristics
Class and typeBourrasque-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,320 t (1,300 long tons) (standard)
  • 1,825 t (1,796 long tons) (
    full load
    )
Length105.6 m (346 ft 5.5 in)
Beam9.7 m (31 ft 9.9 in)
Draft3.5 m (11 ft 5.8 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Crew9 officers, 153 crewmen (wartime)
Armament

Tornade was a Bourrasque-class destroyer (torpilleur d'escadre) built for the French Navy during the 1920s.

After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940 during World War II, Tornade served with the navy of Vichy France. She was at Oran, French Algeria, when the Allies invaded French North Africa in Operation Torch in November 1942. Resisting the invasion, she was badly damaged off Oran on 8 November 1942 by gunfire by the Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Aurora and destroyer HMS Calpe and was beached to avoid sinking.[1]

Design and description

The Bourrasque class had an

kW; 30,576 shp), which would propel the ship at 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]

The main armament of the Bourrasque-class ships consisted of four

stern that housed a total of sixteen 200-kilogram (440 lb) depth charges.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ "FR Tornade of the French Navy". Uboat. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Jordan & Moulin, p. 41

References