Vauquelin-class destroyer
![]() Vauquelin, about 1934
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Class overview | |
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Name | Vauquelin class |
Operators | ![]() |
Preceded by | Aigle class |
Succeeded by | Le Fantasque class |
Built | 1930–1934 |
In service | 1933–1942 |
Completed | 6 |
Lost | 6 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Large destroyer |
Displacement | |
Length | 129.3 m (424 ft 3 in) |
Beam | 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in) |
Draft | 4.97 m (16 ft 4 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
Range | 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Crew | 12 officers, 224 crewmen (wartime) |
Armament |
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The Vauquelin class was a group of six large
The
Design and description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Recognition_drawing_of_a_French_2400-tonne_class_destroyer_c1941.png/220px-Recognition_drawing_of_a_French_2400-tonne_class_destroyer_c1941.png)
Like their predecessors, the contre-torpilleurs of the Vauquelin class were designed as fleet scouts, intended to fight their way through the enemy's screen. The design was virtually identical to the preceding
The Vauquelin-class ships had an overall length of 129.3 meters (424 ft 3 in), a beam of 11.8 meters (38 ft 9 in),[2] and a draft of 4.97 meters (16 ft 4 in). The ships displaced 2,441 metric tons (2,402 long tons) at standard[3] and 3,120 metric tons (3,070 long tons) at deep load. Their hull was subdivided by a dozen traverse bulkheads into 13 watertight compartments. Their crew consisted of 10 officers and 201 crewmen in peacetime and 12 officers and 220 enlisted men in wartime.[2]
The Vauquelins were powered by two geared
Armament and fire control
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Vauquelin_%26_Tartu_NH_88535.jpg/220px-Vauquelin_%26_Tartu_NH_88535.jpg)
The main armament of the Vauquelin-class ships consisted of five 40-
Their
The ships carried two above-water twin mounts for 550-millimeter (21.7 in)
Fire control for the main guns was provided by a Mle 1929 electro-mechanical
Wartime modifications
The Marine Nationale reconsidered its anti-submarine warfare tactics after the war began in September and intended to reinstate the depth-charge throwers, although these were an older model than the one previously installed. Depth-charge stowage now consisted of 24 heavy depth charges and 16 of the 100-kilogram ones for those ships that received the throwers. There was a shortage of them and only
In May 1940, Vauquelin and Kersaint received a pair of twin-gun 37-millimeter mounts; the former lost all of her 37-millimeter guns in exchange while the latter retained a pair of her single mounts. Beginning in 1941 the Vauquelins had their anti-aircraft armament augmented, although shortages mean that most of the ships differed from each other. In general, the mainmast and the auxiliary fire-control position was replaced by a platform for a single 37-millimeter twin-gun mount and two of the single 37-millimeter mounts were transferred to the platform while the other two single mounts were removed. In addition each ship received two or four Browning 13.2-millimeter AA machine guns. Chevalier Paul's refit in January 1941 was the first to be completed and she had four 37-millimeter guns in a twin-gun mount and two singles, two single mounts for the Brownings and her original four Hotchkiss machine guns in a pair of twin-gun mounts. This was also the configuration for Tartu and Cassard. Vauquelin kept her two twin-gun 37-millimeter mounts and her original Hotchkiss mounts, and added three single Brownings. Kersaint reverted to her four original single 37-millimeter mounts, but exchanged her Hotchkiss guns for four single Brownings and also received three 25-millimeter (1 in) Hotchkiss Modèle 1925 AA guns in single mounts.[12]
Ships
Ship | Builder[13] | Laid down[13]
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Launched[14]
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Completed[13] | Fate |
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Vauquelin | Ateliers et Chantiers de France, Dunkirk | 13 March 1930 | 29 September 1932 | 3 November 1933 | Scuttled in Toulon, 27 November 1942[15]
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Kersaint | Chantiers Navals Français, Caen |
19 September 1930 | 14 November 1931 | 31 December 1933 | |
Cassard | Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes | 12 November 1930 | 8 November 1931 | 10 September 1933 | |
Tartu | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire | 14 September 1930 | 7 December 1931 | 31 December 1932 | |
Maillé Brézé | Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët , Saint-Nazaire
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9 October 1930 | 9 November 1931 | 6 April 1933 | Lost by accidental explosion, 30 April 1940[13] |
Chevalier Paul | La Seyne
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28 February 1931 | 21 March 1932 | 20 July 1934 | Torpedoed by aircraft and sunk, 16 June 1941[13] |
Service
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/French_destroyer_Chevalier_Paul_moored_to_a_buoy_c1934.jpg/220px-French_destroyer_Chevalier_Paul_moored_to_a_buoy_c1934.jpg)
Kersaint, Vauquelin, and Maillé Brézé were initially assigned to the 2nd Squadron (2e Escadre), based in
On 27 August 1939, in anticipation of war with Nazi Germany, the French Navy planned to reorganize the Mediterranean Fleet into the Forces de haute mer of three squadrons. When France declared war on 3 September, the reorganization was ordered and the 3rd Light Squadron, which included the 5th and 9th Scout Divisions (Division de contre-torpilleurs) with all of the Vauquelin-class ships, was assigned to the 3rd Squadron. The ships of the 9th Scout Division were assigned to escort duties in the Western Mediterranean in early October, although they occasionally escorted ships in the Atlantic as well. Cassard was detached for several months to help search for German commerce raiders and blockade runners in the Atlantic. Vauquelin and Maillé Brézé escorted a pair of cruisers to Dakar, French West Africa, in October and then escorted a convoy back.[17]
In April 1940 the 5th Scout Division with Chevalier Paul, Tartu and Maillé Brézé was tasked to escort convoys between Scotland and Norway. Beginning in mid-April they escorted two French troop convoys to Harstad and Namsos. Maillé Brézé was lost on 30 April after a torpedo accident at Greenock, Scotland. The remaining ships rejoined their sisters at Toulon at the end of May in anticipation of Italy joining the war. Four days after the Italians declared war on 10 June, Tartu, Cassard and Chevalier Paul were among the ships ordered to bombard targets in Vado Ligure. Little damage was inflicted despite the expenditure of over 1,600 rounds and two Italian MAS boats that attempted to intervene were only lightly damaged by the French.[18]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/French_destroyers_Vauquelin_and_Kersaint_scuttled_at_Toulon_in_November_1942.jpg/220px-French_destroyers_Vauquelin_and_Kersaint_scuttled_at_Toulon_in_November_1942.jpg)
Kersaint was present when the British
After the Allies invaded French North Africa on 8 November 1942, the Germans attempted to capture the French ships in Toulon intact on 27 November, but the four surviving sisters were scuttled by their crews. The Germans and Italians made only cursory attempts to salvage the ships, not least because three were further damaged during Allied air attacks in 1944 and they were scrapped in place between 1950 and 1956.[20]
Notes
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 16–17, 112, 122
- ^ a b Jordan & Moulin, p. 112
- ^ Chesneau, p. 268
- ^ a b Jordan & Moulin, pp. 112, 116
- ^ Campbell, p. 298
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 98, 118
- ^ Campbell, p. 308; Jordan & Moulin, pp. 99, 118–119
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 88, 120
- ^ Jordan & Moulin 2015, pp. 112, 120, 124
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 118, 123–124
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 125–126
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 125–128
- ^ a b c d e Whitley, p. 41
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, p. 110
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, p. 247
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 213–215, 218
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 222–224
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 226–227, 229–230
- ^ Jordan & Moulin 2015, pp. 236–237, 239; Rohwer, p. 78
- ^ Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 142; Jordan & Moulin 2015, p. 247
References
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Cernuschi, Enrico & O'Hara, Vincent P. (2013). "Toulon: The Self-Destruction and Salvage of the French Fleet". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2013. London: Conway. pp. 134–148. ISBN 978-1-84486-205-4.
- 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.