Bouclier-class destroyer
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 Bouclier, lead ship of the class, circa 1914 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bouclier class |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Preceded by | Chasseur class |
| Succeeded by | Bisson class |
| Built | 1909–1913 |
| In commission | 1911–1933 |
| Completed | 12 |
| Lost | 4 |
| Scrapped | 8 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement | 703–809 t (692–796 long tons) |
| Length | 72.3–78.3 m (237 ft 2 in – 256 ft 11 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 7.6–8 m (24 ft 11 in – 26 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 2.9–3.3 m (9 ft 6 in – 10 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2–3 shafts; 2–3 steam turbines |
| Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range | 1,200–1,600 nmi (2,200–3,000 km; 1,400–1,800 mi) at 12–14 knots (22–26 km/h; 14–16 mph) |
| Complement | 80–83 |
| Armament |
|
The Bouclier class consisted of twelve destroyers built between 1910 and 1912 for the French Navy, four of which were lost during the First World War.
Design and description
[edit]The Bouclier-class was nearly double the size of the preceding 450-metric-ton (443-long-ton) destroyers to match the increase in size of foreign destroyers. The French Navy issued a general specification that required oil-fired boilers, steam turbine propulsion and a uniform armament that allowed individual shipyards the freedom to design their ships as they saw fit. This allowed for some variations in size (from 72.32–78.3 meters (237 ft 3 in – 256 ft 11 in) in length) and machinery (Bouclier and Casque had three shafts, all the others had two, while Casque has three funnels, all the rest had four).[1]
Bouclier was the shortest ship with an overall length of 72.32 meters and her sister ships ranged in length from 74 to 78.3 meters (242 ft 9 in to 256 ft 11 in). All of the ships had beams of 7.6–8 meters (24 ft 11 in – 26 ft 3 in) and drafts of 2.9–3.3 meters (9 ft 6 in – 10 ft 10 in). Bouclier and her sister Francis Garnier had the lightest displacements at 692 metric tons (681 long tons); the others displaced 720–756 metric tons (709–744 long tons) at normal load. Their crews numbered 80–83 men.[1]
The destroyers were powered by two or three steam turbines of four different models, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by four water-tube boilers of four different types. The turbines were designed to produce 13,000 shaft horsepower (9,700 kW) which was intended to give the ships a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). During their sea trials, they reached speeds of 29.3–35.5 knots (54.3–65.7 km/h; 33.7–40.9 mph). The ships carried 120–160 t (118–157 long tons) of fuel oil which gave them a range of 1,200–1,600 nautical miles (2,200–3,000 km; 1,400–1,800 mi) at cruising speeds of 12–14 knots (22–26 km/h; 14–16 mph).[2]
The primary armament of the Bouclier-class ships consisted of two 100-millimeter (3.9 in) Modèle 1893 guns in single mounts, one each fore and aft of the superstructure, and four 65-millimeter (2.6 in) Modèle 1902 guns distributed amidships. They were also fitted with two twin mounts for 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes amidships.[1]
During World War I, a 45-millimeter (1.8 in) or 75-millimeter (3 in) anti-aircraft gun, two 8-millimeter (0.31 in) machine guns, and eight or ten Guiraud-type depth charges were added to the ships. The extra weight severely overloaded the ships and reduced their operational speed to around 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph).[1]
Ships
[edit]| Name | Builder | Launched | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bouclier | Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand, Le Havre | 29 June 1911 | Struck, 15 February 1933 |
| Boutefeu | Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | 2 May 1911 | Sunk by mine laid by UC-25 off Brindisi, 15 May 1917, during the Battle of the Strait of Otranto |
| Capitaine Mehl | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, St. Nazaire | 20 April 1912 | Struck, 10 July 1926 |
| Casque | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Le Havre | 25 August 1910 | Struck, 26 March 1926. Broken up, 1927. |
| Cimeterre | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 13 April 1911 | Struck, 10 July 1926 |
| Commandant Bory | Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | 14 September 1912 | Struck, 29 July 1926 |
| Commandant Rivière | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 2 October 1912 | Struck, June 1933 |
| Dague | 13 April 1911 | Sunk by a drifting mine in Antivari Roads, 24 February 1915 | |
| Dehorter | Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire | 18 April 1912 | Struck, 1933 |
| Faulx | Établissement de la Brosse et Fouché, Nantes | 2 February 1911 | Accidentally rammed and sunk by Mangini in Strait of Otranto, 18 April 1918 |
| Fourche | 21 October 1910 | Torpedoed and sunk by U-15, 23 June 1916 | |
| Francis Garnier | Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand, Le Havre | 1 October 1912 | Struck, 10 February 1926 |
Citations
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]
- "BOUCLIER - Contre-torpilleur - marine - Forum Pages d'Histoire: marine". pages14-18.mesdiscussions.net. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
- Freivogel, Zvonimir (2019). The Great War in the Adriatic Sea 1914–1918. Zagreb: Despot Infinitus. ISBN 978-953-8218-40-8.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Osborne, Eric W. (2005). Destroyers - An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 1-85109-479-2.
- Prévoteaux, Gérard (2017). La marine française dans la Grande guerre: les combattants oubliés: Tome I 1914–1915 [The French Navy during the Great War: The Forgotten Combatants, Book I 1914–1915]. Collection Navires & Histoire des Marines du Mond. Vol. 23. Le Vigen, France: Éditions Lela presse. ISBN 978-2-37468-000-2.
- Prévoteaux, Gérard (2017). La marine française dans la Grande guerre: les combattants oubliés: Tome II 1916–1918 [The French Navy during the Great War: The Forgotten Combatants, Book II 1916–1918]. Collection Navires & Histoire des Marines du Mond. Vol. 27. Le Vigen, France: Éditions Lela presse. ISBN 978-2-37468-001-9.
- Roberts, Stephen S. (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4533-0.
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). "Classement par types". Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 2: 1870–2006. Toulon: Roche. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.