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French destroyer L'Audacieux

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For other ships with the same name, see French ship Audacieux.

History
France
NameL'Audacieux
Ordered17 November 1930
BuilderArsenal de Lorient
Laid down16 November 1931
Launched15 March 1934
Completed27 November 1935
Commissioned1 August 1935
In service7 December 1935
ReclassifiedTraining ship (April 1941)
Captured27 November 1942 by Germany
FateSunk, 7 May 1943
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeTemplate:Sclass-
Displacement
Length132.4 m (434 ft 5 in)
Beam12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph) (designed)
Range2,700–2,900 nmi (5,000–5,400 km; 3,100–3,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement11 officers, 254 sailors (wartime)
Armament

L'Audacieux ("The audacious one") was a large destroyer (contre-torpilleur, "Torpedo-boat destroyer") of the French Navy used during the Second World War.

Design and description

The Le Fantasque-class ships were designed to counter the fast Italian Template:Sclass- light cruisers and one member of the class, Le Terrible, set a world record for a ship with a conventional hull that was in excess of 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph). They had an overall length of 132.4 meters (434 ft 5 in), a beam of 12 meters (39 ft 4 in), and a draft of 4.5 meters (14 ft 9 in).[1] The ships displaced 2,569 metric tons (2,528 long tons) at standard[2] and 3,417 metric tons (3,363 long tons) at deep load. L'Audacieux was powered by two Rateau-Bretagne geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 74,000 metric horsepower (54,000 kW; 73,000 shp), which would propel the ship at 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph). During her sea trials on 8 May 1935, her turbines provided 97,448 metric horsepower (71,673 kW; 96,115 shp) and she reached 42.4 knots (78.5 km/h; 48.8 mph) for a single hour. The Parsons turbines were more economical than the Rateau-Bretagne turbines which gave those ships equipped with them a range of 2,900 nautical miles (5,400 km; 3,300 mi) versus 2,700 nmi (5,000 km; 3,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The crew of the Le Fantasque class consisted of 11 officers and 221 crewmen in peacetime and the number of the latter increased to 254 in wartime.[3]

The main armament of the Le Fantasques consisted of five Canon de 138.6 mm (5.5 in) Modèle 1929 guns in single mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure and the fifth gun abaft the aft funnel. The guns were numbered '1' to '5' from front to rear. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two Canon de 37 mm (1.5 in) Modèle 1925 guns in single mounts positioned amidships and four Mitrailleuse de 13.2 mm (0.52 in) CA Modèle 1929 in two twin-gun mounts aft of the 37 mm mounts. The ships carried three above-water triple sets of 550-millimeter (21.7 in) torpedo tubes; the aft mount could traverse to both sides, but the forward mounts were positioned one on each broadside. A pair of depth charge chutes were built into their stern; these housed a total of sixteen 200-kilogram (440 lb) depth charges with another dozen available in the torpedo magazine. They could also be fitted with rails capable of handling 40 naval mines.[4]

Construction and career

Ordered on 17 November 1930 as part of the 1930 Naval Program, L'Audacieux was built by Arsenal de Lorient. She was laid down on 16 November 1931, launched on 15 March 1934, commissioned on 1 August 1935, completed on 27 November and entered service on 7 December. Completion was delayed when her boilers had to be rebuilt because of defective firebricks. When the Le Fantasques entered service they were assigned to the newly formed 8th and 10th Light Divisions (Division légère) which were later redesignated as scout divisions (Division de contre-torpilleurs); both divisions were assigned to the 2nd Light Squadron (2eme Escadre légère in Brest. As of 1 October 1936 L'Indomptable, Le Triomphant and Le Malin were assigned to the 8th Light Division while Le Fantasque, Le Terrible and L'Audacieux belonged to the 10th.[5]

The ship departed Brest on 4 December 1935 to represent the Marine Nationale at the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the French colonization of the Antilles where she joined the cruiser Emile Bertin and the submarine Surcouf in making port visits to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and Fort de France, Martinique. Albert Lebrun, President of France, inaugurated the new building of the Naval School (Ecole Navale) in Brest and reviewed the 2nd Squadron on 30 May 1936, including L'Audacieux, L'Indomptable, Le Fantasque, and Le Terrible. Between 15 January and 26 February, the 2nd Light Squadron cruised as far south as Conakry, French West Africa. On 27 May 1937, Alphonse Gasnier-Duparc, Minister of the Navy, reviewed the fleet, including all of the Le Fantasque's. L'Audacieux briefly served as flagship of the 2nd Light Squadron from 9 August 1938 until she was relieved on 7 November.[6]

Both the 8th and 10th Scout Divisions were assigned to the Force de Raid when war was declared in September 1939; it made only a single sortie as a complete unit on 2–6 September when it responded to an erroneous report that German ships had left port. Afterwards it was dispersed into smaller groups to search for German commerce raiders and blockade runners. The 10th Scout Division, together with British ships, was assigned to Force X that was based in Dakar, French West Africa from 10 October to 18 November.[7]

In October 1939, with her sister ships Le Terrible and Le Fantasque, the L'Audacieux captured the German cargo ship Santa Fé and took part in the pursuit of the "pocket battleship" Graf Spee. In November and December of the same year, she also conducted patrols in the North Atlantic.

In March 1940, she took part in anti-submarine patrols in the Mediterranean, from her base at Casablanca. In May of the same year, L'Audacieux was attacked by German planes several times, but was not hit. On 29 May, after taking part in Operation Dynamo, L'Audacieux collided with the destroyers Frondeur and Boulonnais off Dunkerque, and was sent for repairs in Brest until 13 June. On 18 June, L'Audacieux, together with Léopard and Courbet, patrolled Cherbourg. On 3 July, L'Audacieux took part in the battle of Mers-el-Kebir, engaging British aircraft. She attempted to launch torpedo attacks on British heavy fleet units, but was retired to cover Strasbourg during her retreat to Toulon. On 23 September, she took part in the Battle of Dakar; after being heavily damaged by gunfire from HMAS Australia, she had to be beached. She was refloated in February 1941; however, she was too badly damaged for repair and was immobilized as a training hulk.

L'Audacieux was taken over by the Germans on 27 November 1942, the day that the French fleet was scuttled at Toulon harbor, and was renamed ZF5. She was towed to Bizerte, Tunisia, on 4 May 1943, to be repaired, but she was sunk by British planes three days later.

The hulk was refloated in December 1943 and used as a source of spares for her surviving sisters. The remains were sold for scrap in August 1948 and broken up at Sfax.

References

  1. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 137, 139–140
  2. ^ Chesneau, p. 268
  3. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 140, 143–144
  4. ^ Jordan & Moulin, pp. 145–151
  5. ^ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 138–139, 214–215
  6. ^ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 208, 210, 213, 218
  7. ^ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 222–223

Bibliography

  • 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. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • 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. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
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