The ''Vauquelin'' class was a group of six large
destroyers () built for 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 ...
() in the early 1930s. Entering service in 1933–1934, the
sister ships spent most of their careers in the Mediterranean. During the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
of 1936–1939, they helped to enforce the
non-intervention agreement. When France declared war on Germany in September 1939, all of the ''Vauquelin''s were assigned to the High Sea Forces ( (FHM)) which was tasked to escort French convoys and support the other commands as needed. Three of the sisters briefly deployed to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in early 1940 to support the
Allied forces in the
Norwegian Campaign and was lost to an accidental explosion. The others returned to the Mediterranean in time to participate in
Operation Vado, a bombardment of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
coastal facilities after Italy entered the war in June.
The
Vichy French
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
reformed the FHM after the
French surrender in late June. After the Allies
invaded French Lebanon and Syria in June 1941, was ordered to ferry ammunition there. Sunk en route, the ship was replaced by her sister which successfully delivered the ammunition and then attempted to transport reinforcements and supplies to Lebanon. The four surviving ships were
scuttled in Toulon when the
Germans
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3,322,405
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occupied Vichy France in November 1942. They were not successfully
salvaged during the war and their wrecks were
broken up
Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sold for re-use, ...
well after the war.
Design and description
![Recognition drawing of a French 2400-tonne class destroyer c1941](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Recognition_drawing_of_a_French_2400-tonne_class_destroyer_c1941.png)
Like their predecessors, the s 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 s, although the stern was reshaped to improve minelaying and the torpedo armament was revised. To reduce topweight, the use of electric
welding
Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as bra ...
for non-strength parts of the
hull and
superstructure was increased as was the use of
duralumin for internal partitions and parts of the superstructure. This improved their
metacentric height
The metacentric height (GM) is a measurement of the initial static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre. A larger metacentric height implies greater initial stabi ...
at
deep load
The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
to and made them much more stable than the ''Aigle''s. The ''Vauquelin''s were considered to be good
seaboat
Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea stat ...
s, although the small
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
, carried over from the earlier ships, made them not very maneuverable. In service the use of duralumin was much criticized as it was corrosion prone and required much maintenance.
The ''Vauquelin''-class ships had an
overall length
The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of , a
beam of ,
[Jordan & Moulin, p. 112] and a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . The ships displaced at
standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
and at deep load. Their hull was subdivided by a dozen traverse
bulkheads into 13
watertight compartments
Floodability is the susceptibility of a ship's construction to flooding. It also refers to the ability to intentionally flood certain areas of the hull for damage control purposes, or to increase stability, which is particularly important in comb ...
. Their crew consisted of 10 officers and 201 crewmen in peacetime and 12 officers and 220 enlisted men in wartime.
[
The ''Vauquelin''s were powered by two geared Rateau-Breguet or ]Parsons
Parsons may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Parsons, Kansas, a city
* Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Parsons, Tennessee, a city
* Parsons, West Virginia, a town
* Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...
steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
, using steam provided by four du Temple boiler
Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although bulkier, a ...
s that operated at a pressure of and a temperature of . The turbines were designed to produce which was intended give the ships a speed of . During their sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s, each of the ships comfortably exceeded their designed speed, ranging from from . They carried a maximum of of fuel oil which give them a range of at . The ships were fitted with two turbo generator
A turbo generator is an electric generator connected to the shaft of a steam turbine or gas turbine for the generation of electric power. Large steam-powered turbo generators provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also use ...
s in the engine room
On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into var ...
s. In addition, a pair of diesel generator
A diesel generator (DG) (also known as a diesel Genset) is the combination of a diesel engine with an electric generator (often an alternator) to generate electrical energy. This is a specific case of engine generator. A diesel compression-ig ...
s were located in the central superstructure.[Jordan & Moulin, pp. 112, 116]
Armament and fire control
The main armament of the ''Vauquelin''-class ships consisted of five 40- caliber Modèle 1927 guns in single shielded mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure and the fifth gun abaft
This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th t ...
the aft funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
. The guns were numbered '1' to '5' from front to rear. Their mounts had a range of elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...
from −10° to +28°, which gave the guns a range of at maximum elevation. They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of 8 to 12 rounds per minute. The ''Vauquelin''s could stow 200 rounds for each gun, plus 75 star shells for No. 2 gun.
Their secondary armament
Secondary armament is a term used to refer to smaller, faster-firing weapons that were typically effective at a shorter range than the main (heavy) weapons on military systems, including battleship- and cruiser-type warships, tanks/armored ...
consisted of four 50-caliber semi-automatic Modèle 1925 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in single mounts positioned amidships
This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th ...
. Their mounts could elevate from −15° to +80° and the guns had a maximum effective range of . Firing projectiles at a muzzle velocity of the guns had a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. In addition there were two twin mounts for Hotchkiss Mitrailleuse de CA Modèle 1929 AA machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
s on the forecastle
The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
deck abreast the bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
.
The ships carried two above-water twin mounts for torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, one pair on each broadside between each pair of funnels as well as one triple mount aft of the rear pair of funnels able to traverse to both sides. Their Mle 1923DT torpedoes had a TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
warhead
A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb.
Classification
Types of warheads include:
* Expl ...
and could be set for a speed of with a range of or for . A pair of depth charge chutes were built into their stern; these housed a total of sixteen depth charges, with eight more in reserve. They were also fitted with a pair of depth-charge throwers, one on each broadside abreast the aft funnels, for which they carried a dozen depth charges. The ships could be fitted with rails to drop forty Breguet B4 mines. With a de-emphasis on anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
for the s, the depth-charge throwers were removed in 1936 and more 200-kilogram depth charges were carried in their place.
Fire control for the main guns was provided by a Mle 1929 electro-mechanical fire-control computer that used data provided by a SOM B.1926 coincidence rangefinder
A coincidence rangefinder or coincidence telemeter is a type of rangefinder that uses mechanical and optical principles to allow an operator to determine the distance to a visible object. There are subtypes split-image telemeter, inverted image, ...
atop the bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
. The computer could not compensate for the ships' motions and the guns could only be fired accurately when the ships were level. The rangefinder was replaced by a OPL Mle E.1930 stereoscopic rangefinder in 1934 and the SOM rangefinder was repositioned to the base of the mainmast
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...
. The following year, ''Cassard'' was the test ship for a new OPL E.1935 rangefinder in a two-man turret and an auxiliary Mle 1919 fire-control computer in the base of the turret. With the trial being successful, the new rangefinder in its turret replaced the E.1930 rangefinder in the rest of the ''Vauquelin''s in 1935–1936, although the latter was transferred to a new turret built around the base of the mainmast.
Wartime modifications
The 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 , ''Vauquelin'' and received them beginning in May 1940. As an interim measure, a pair of rails were installed on the stern for depth charges. Each rail could accommodate three depth charges and ten more were stored in the magazine. The ''Vauquelin''-class ships were allocated British Alpha 128 Asdic
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects on ...
systems in April 1940, although they were slowly installed on the surviving ships between May and the end of 1941; ''Le Chevalier Paul'' did not receive one before her loss in June 1941.
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 ''Vauquelin''s 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. ''Le 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 Hotchkiss Modèle 1925 AA guns in single mounts.
Ships
Service
''Kersaint'', ''Vauquelin'', and ''Maillé Brézé'' were initially assigned to the 2nd Squadron (), based in Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
while the other three were sent to the 1st Squadron () in Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
. All six ships were consolidated in the 1st Squadron in October 1934. After the start of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, ''Kersaint'' and ''Cassard'' were among the ships assigned to evacuate French citizens from Spain and later to patrol the surveillance zones assigned to France. After September most of the and destroyers in the Mediterranean were assigned these tasks on a monthly rotation as part of the non-intervention policy.
On 27 August 1939, in anticipation of war with Nazi Germany, the French Navy planned to reorganize the Mediterranean Fleet into the 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 () 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
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
, French West Africa, in October and then escorted a convoy back.
In April 1940 the 5th Scout Division with ''Le Chevalier Paul'', ''Tartu'' and ''Maillé Brézé'' was tasked to escort convoys between Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. Beginning in mid-April they escorted two French troop convoys to Harstad
( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogalan ...
and Namsos
( sma, Nåavmesjenjaelmie) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Some of the villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Kl ...
. ''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 ''Le Chevalier Paul'' were among the ships ordered to bombard targets in Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure ( lij, Voæ), in antiquity Vada Sabatia, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Savona, Liguria, in northern Italy.
Economy
Vado has a large industrial and commercial port.
Vado Ligure is home to a railway construction plant, ...
. 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.
''Kersaint'' was present when the British attacked the French ships in Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, in July, but was not damaged. When the Vichy French
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
government reestablished the (FHM) on 25 September after it negotiated rules limiting the force's activities and numbers with the Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and German Armistice Commission
The German Armistice Commission (german: Waffenstillstandskommission, WAKO) was a military body charged with supervising the implementation of the Franco-German Armistice, signed on 22 June 1940, in German-occupied France during World War II.Uni ...
s, ''Cassard'' was the only ''Vauquelin''-class ship initially assigned; the others were placed in reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
. ''Le Chevalier Paul'', ''Vauquelin'' and ''Tartu'' replaced three older in the FHM on 15 November. After the Allies invaded French Lebanon and Syria in June 1941, ''Le Chevalier Paul'' was dispatched to Lebanon with more ammunition for the ships there. She was sunk by British torpedo bombers en route on 16 June and ''Vauquelin'' sailed from Toulon the following day. She reached Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
four days later; on the 29th, all three of the based there sailed for Greece to load reinforcements and supplies bound for Lebanon. They were spotted by British aircraft on their way back to Lebanon in early July and turned back in accordance with their orders. In the meantime, ''Tartu'', ''Cassard'' and a heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
transported a battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
of infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
from Algiers, French Algeria, to Marseilles between 30 June and 1 July that was intended to reinforce the Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
.
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.[Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 142; Jordan & Moulin 2015, p. 247]
Notes
References
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External links
''Vauquelin''-class at uboat.net
{{WWII French ships
Destroyer classes
World War II destroyers of France
Ship classes of the French Navy