The ''escorteurs'' of the French Navy were light naval

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...

s used for

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

protection during and after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The earliest escorteurs in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

were purchased from the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. After the war, these were supplemented by former German and Italian vessels transferred to French control as

war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. History Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history. ...

. After the war, the term ''escorteur'' replaced that of and traditionally used by the French Navy. However, in the 1970s, the designation of ''escorteur'' ceased to be used and was replaced with that of

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an ...

or patroller.

Second World War ships

: ** River-class frigate ( Free French Naval Forces) *** ''L'Aventure'' (F707) (ex-HMS ''Braid'') 1944–1961 *** '' L'Escarmouche'' (F709) (ex-HMS ''Frome'') 1944–1961 *** ''Tonkinois'' (F711) (ex-HMS ''Moyola'') 1944–1961 *** ''Croix de Lorraine'' (F710) (ex-HMS ''Strule'') 1944–1961 *** ''La Surprise'' (F708) (ex-HMS ''Torridge'') 1944–1964 *** ''La Découverte'' (F712) (ex-HMS ''Windrush'') 1944–1961 ** Flower-class corvettes (Free French Naval Forces) *** ''Alysse'' (ex-HMS ''Alyssum'' K100) 1941–1942 *** ''Roselys'' (ex-HMS ''Sundew'') 1941–1947 *** '' Aconit'' (ex-HMS ''Aconite'') 1941–1947 *** ''Lobelia'' (ex-''Lobelia'') 1941–1947 *** ''Mimosa'' (ex-''Mimosa'') 1941–1942 *** ''Commandant Détroyat'' (Ex-HMS ''Coriander'') 1941–1947 *** ''Commandant d'Estienne d'Orves'' (ex-HMS ''Lotus'') 1942–1947 *** ''Renoncule'' (ex-HMS ''Renonculus'') 1941–1947 *** ''Commandant Drogou'' (ex-HMS ''Chrysanthemum'') 1941–1947 *

( USN): ** Cannon-class

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

: *** ''Sénégalais'' (F702) (ex- USS ''Corbesier'' (DE-106)) 1944–1964 *** ''Algérien'' (F701) (ex- USS ''Cronin'' (DE-107)) 1944–1964 *** ''Tunisien'' (F706) (ex- USS ''Crosley'' (DE-108)) 1944–1960 *** ''Marocain'' (F705) (ex- USS ''Marocain'' (DE-109)) 1944–1960 *** ''Hova'' (F704) (ex- USS ''Hova'' (DE-110)) 1944–1964 *** ''Somali'' (F703) (ex- USS ''Somali'' (DE-111)) 1944–1956 **

PC-461-class submarine chaser The ''PC-461''-class submarine chasers were a class of 343 submarine chasers constructed mainly for the US Navy and built from 1941 to 1944. The ''PC-461''s were based primarily on two experimental submarine chasers, ''PC-451'' and '' PC-452''. ...

(or coastal patroller): *** ''Eveillé'' (ex- USS PC-471) 1944–1959 *** ''Rusé'' (ex- USS PC-472) 1944–1959 *** ''Ardent'' (ex- USS PC-473) 1944–1945 *** ''Indiscret'' (ex- USS PC-474) 1944–1960 *** ''Résolu'' (ex- USS PC475) 1944–1951 *** ''Emporté'' (ex- USS PC-480) 1944–1959 *** ''Effronté'' (ex- USS PC481) 1944–1953 *** ''Enjoué'' (ex- USS PC-482) 1944–1945 *** ''Tirailleur'' (ex- USS PC-542) 1944–1958 *** ''Volontaire'' (ex- USS PC-543) 1944–1964 *** ''Goumier'' (ex- USS PC-545) 1944–1965 *** ''Franc Tireur'' (ex- USS PC-545) 1944–1953 *** ''Vigilant'' (ex- USS PC-550) 1944–1959 *** ''Mameluck'' (ex- USS PC-551) 1944–1958 *** ''Carabinier'' (ex- USS PC-556) 1944–1958 *** ''Dragon'' (ex- USS PC-557) 1944–1959 *** ''Voltigeur'' (ex- USS PC-559) 1944–1970 *** ''Attentif'' (ex- USS PC-562) 1944–1953 *** ''Spahi'' (ex- USS PC-591) 1944–1959 *** ''Fantassin'' (ex- USS PC-621) 1944–1961 *** ''Grenadier'' (ex- USS PC-625) 1944–1958 *** ''Lansquenet'' (ex- USS PC-626) 1944–1958 *** ''Cavalier'' (ex- USS PC-627) 1944–1951

Post-war ships

War reparations

* Ex-

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...

: ** ''Capitani Romani''-class light cruiser: *** (ex-Italian cruiser ''Attilio Regolo'')named for

Marcus Atilius Regulus Marcus Atilius Regulus () was a Roman statesman and general who was a consul of the Roman Republic in 267 BC and 256 BC. Much of his career was spent fighting the Carthaginians during the first Punic War. In 256 BC, he and Lucius ...

) 1948–1969 *** (ex-Italian cruiser ''Scipione Africano'') 1948–1961 **

Sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

: *** ''Francis Garnier'' (F730) (ex- Italian sloop ''Eritrea'') 1946–1966 * Ex-

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

: ** Type 1934A-class destroyer: *** ''Desaix''named for

Louis Desaix Louis Charles Antoine Desaix () (17 August 176814 June 1800) was a French general and military leader during the French Revolutionary Wars. According to the usage of the time, he took the name ''Louis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux''. He was co ...

(ex- German destroyer Z5 ''Paul Jacobi'') 1946–1954 *** ''Kléber'' (D603)named for

Jean-Baptiste Kléber Jean-Baptiste Kléber () (9 March 1753 – 14 June 1800) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. After serving for one year in the French Royal Army, he entered Habsburg service seven years later. However, his plebeian ancest ...

(ex- German destroyer Z6 ''Theodor Riedel'') 1946–1957 ** Type 1936A-class and 1936A (Mob)-class destroyer *** ''Marceau'' (D601) (ex- German destroyer Z31) 1946–1958 *** ''Hoche'' (D602) (ex- German destroyer Z25) 1946–1958 *** ''Léopard'' (ex- German destroyer Z23) ** Type 35 torpedo boat: *** ''Bir Hacheim'' (ex- German torpedo boat T11) ** Type 37 torpedo boat: *** ''Baccarat'' (ex- German torpedo boat T20) *** ''Dompaire'' (ex- German torpedo boat T14) ** Elbing-class torpedo boat: *** ''L'Alsacien'' (ex- German torpedo boat T23) *** ''Le Lorrain'' (ex- German torpedo boat T28)

Allied fleet ships

( USN): ** Cannon-class

: *** ''Berbère'' (F723) (ex- USS ''Clarence L. Evans'' (DE-113)) 1952–1969 *** ''Arabe'' (F707) (ex- USS ''Samuel S. Miles'' (DE-183)) 1950–1958 *** ''Kabyle'' (F718) (ex- USS ''Riddle'' (DE-185)) 1950–1959 *** ''Bambara'' (F719) (ex- USS ''Swearer'' (DE-186)) 1950–1959 *** ''Malgache'' (F724) (ex- USS ''Baker'' (DE-190)) 1952–1969 *** ''Sakalave'' (F720) (ex- USS ''Wingfield'' (DE-194)) 1950–1959 *** ''Touareg'' (F721) (ex- USS ''Bright'' (DE-747)) 1950–1958 *** ''Soudanais'' (F722) (ex- USS ''Cates'' (DE-763)) 1950–1959 ** Tacoma-class frigate (french: Classe Tacoman): *** ''Laplace'' (F713) (ex- USS ''Lorain'' (PF-93)) 1947–1950 *** ''Mermoz'' (F714) (ex- USS ''Muskegon'' (PF-24)) 1947–1950 *** ''Brix'' (F715) (ex- USS ''Manitowoc'' (PF-61)) 1947–1958 *** ''Verrier'' (F716) (ex- USS ''Emporia'' (PF-28)) 1947–1958 **

(or coastal patroller): *** ''Pnom Penh'' (ex- USS PC-796) 1949–1955 *** ''Hue'' (ex- USS PC-797) 1950–1955 *** ''Luang Prabang'' (ex- USS PC-798) 1949–1955 *** ''Kum Kang San'' (ex- USS PC-799) 1950– *** ''Flamberge'' (ex- USS PC-1086) 1951–1956 *** ''Intrépide'' (ex- USS PC-1130) 1951–1956 *** ''Trident'' (ex- USS PC-1143) 1951–1956 *** ''Mousquet'' (ex- USS PC-1143) 1951–1955 *** ''Glaive'' (ex- USS PC-1146) 1951–1956 *** ''Ardent'' (ex- USS PC-1167) 1951–1956 *** ''Inconstant'' (ex- USS PC-1171) 1951–1956 *** ''Légionnaire''''Le Légionnaire'',

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

(ex- USS PC-1226) 1944–1958 *** ''Lancier'' (ex- USS PC-1227) 1944–1960 *** ''Hussard'' (ex- USS PC-1235) 1945–1965 *** ''Sabre'' (ex- USS PC-1248) 1944–1959 *** ''Pique'' (ex- USS PC-1249) 1944–1959 *** ''Cimeterre'' (ex- USS PC-1250) 1944–1963 *** ''Coutelas'' (ex- USS PC-1560) 1944–1963 *** ''Dague'' (ex- USS PC-1561) 1944–1964 *** ''Javelot'' (ex- USS PC-1562) 1944–1951

French-built ships

Fleet Escorts – (''Escorteurs d'escadre'')

* Classe T 47 (''Surcouf'' class) ** ''Surcouf'' (D621) 1955–1972 ** ''Kersaint'' (D622) 1956–1984 ** ''Cassard'' (D623) 1956–1974 ** ''Bouvet'' (D624) 1956–1982 ** ''Dupetit-Thouars'' (D625) 1957–1988 ** ''Chevalier Paul'' (D626) 1957–1971 ** ''Maillé-Brézé'' (D627) 1957–1988 ** ''Vauquelin'' (D628) 1956–1986 ** ''D’Estrées'' (D629) 1957–1985 ** ''Du Chayla'' (D630) 1957–1991 ** ''Casabianca'' (D631) 1957–1984 ** ''Guépratte'' (D632) 1957–1985 * Classe T 53 ** ''Duperré'' (D633) 1957–1972 ** ''La Bourdonnais'' (D634) 1958–1976 ** ''Forbin'' (D635) 1958–1981 ** ''Tartu (D636) 1958–1979 ** ''Jauréguiberry'' (D637) 1958–1977 * – single ship modified for ASW testing ** ''La Galissonnière'' (D638) 1962–1990

Fast Escorts – ''Escorteurs rapides''

* Type E50 (''Le Corse''-class) frigate: ** ''Le Corse (F761)'' 1955–1975 ** ''Le Brestois (F762)'' 1956–1975 ** ''Le Boulonnais (F763)'' 1955–1976 ** ''Le Bordelais (F764)'' 1955–1976 * Type E52 (''Le Normand''-class) frigate: ** ''Le Normand (F765)'' 1956–1983 ** ''Le Picard (F766)'' 1956–1979 ** ''Le Gascon (F767)'' 1957–1977 ** ''Le Lorrain (F768)'' 1957–1976 ** ''Le Bourguignon (F769)'' 1957–1976 ** ''Le Champenois (F770)'' 1957–1975 ** ''Le Savoyard (F771)'' 1957–1980 ** ''Le Breton (F772)'' 1957–1976 ** ''Le Basque (F773)'' 1957–1979 ** ''L'Agenais (F774)'' 1958–1985 ** ''Le Béarnais (F775)'' 1958–1979 * Type E52B: ** ''L'Alsacien (F776)'' 1960–1981 ** ''Le Provençal (F777)'' 1959–1981 ** ''Le Vendéen (F778)'' 1960–1982

Sloop Escorts – ''Avisos escorteurs''

* ''Commandant Rivière''-class frigate ** ''Victor Schœlcher'' (F725)after Victor Schœlcher (1804–1893) 1962–1988 ** ''Commandant Bory'' (F726)after Victor Bory 1964–1996 ** ''Amiral Charner'' (F727)after

Léonard Charner Léonard Victor Joseph Charner (13 February 1797 – 7 February 1869) was an Admiral of the French Navy. Early career (1797–1837) Léonard Victor Joseph Charner was born on 13 February 1797 in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany. He became a cadet at the ...

(1797–1869) 1962–1990 ** ''Doudart de Lagrée'' (F728)after Ernest Doudart de Lagrée (1823–1868) 1963–1991 ** ''Balny'' (F729)after Adrien-Paul Balny d'Avricourt (1849–1873) 1970–1994 ** ''Commandant Rivière'' (F733)aftet Henri Rivière (1827–1883) 1962–1984 ** ''Commandant Bourdais'' (F740)after Edmé Bourdais (1820–1861) 1963–1990 ** ''Protet'' (F748)after Auguste Léopold Protet (1808–1862) 1962–1992 ** 1963–1996

Coastal Escorts – ''Escorteurs côtiers''

* ** ''Le Fougueux (P641)'' 1954–1975 ** ''L'Opiniâtre (P642)'' 1954–1975 ** ''L'Agile (P643)'' 1954–1976 * : ** ''L'Adroit (P644)'' 1957–1979 ** ''L'Alerte (P645)'' 1957–1979 ** ''L'Attentif (P646)'' 1957–1978 ** ''L'Intrépide (P630)'' 1958–1976 ** ''L'Ardent (P635)'' 1958–1979 ** ''L'Etourdi (P637)'' 1958–1976 ** ''L'Enjoué (P647)'' 1958– ** ''Le Hardi (P648)'' 1958–1977 ** ''L'Effronté (P638)'' 1959– ** ''Le Frondeur (P639)'' 1959–1977 ** ''Le Fringant (P640)'' 1959–1982

Notes

Citations

References

Francis Garnier sur site netmarine

netmarine.net

Le Fougueux (P641)
fougueux.nl

www.escorteursrapides.net * Jean Moulin, Rober Dumas, ''Les Escorteurs d'escadre'', Marines éditions Nantes, 1997 {{French Navy ship types French Navy *