Chamois-class Minesweeping Sloop
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The ''Chamois'' class were French
minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpos ...
sloops (''Avisos dragueur de mines'') ordered between 1935 and 1939. They were similar in design to the , and like them classed as minesweepers, but were actually used as anti-submarine ships, convoy escorts and patrol vessels. Although all 24 ships of the class were laid down between 1936 and 1939, only five were commissioned in time to serve in the
French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
during
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. Of the remaining ships, four were completed by the Germans, of which three where commissioned, twelve were scrapped incomplete, and three were eventually completed after the war and served in the French Navy into the 1960s.


Design and armaments

The 647 tonne ships were long overall, in the beam, and had a draught of . They were powered by two Sulzer
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s, delivering to two shafts, which gave a top speed of . The 105 tonne fuel capacity gave them a maximum range of at . The ship's complement was 88 in peacetime, but 106 during the war. The ships were originally designed to be armed with twin Model 1933 /45 DP guns, one quadruple and two twin Hotchkiss 13.2 mm AA machine guns, and minesweeping gear. In fact the five ships completed before the outbreak of the war (''Annamite'', ''Chamois'', ''Chevreuil'', ''Gazelle'' and ''Surprise'') were fitted with either a
Model 1892 The Winchester Model 1892 is a lever-action repeating rifle designed by John Browning as a smaller, lighter version of his large-frame Model 1886, and which replaced the Model 1873 as the company's lever-action for pistol-caliber rounds such as ...
or a Model 1932 /45 gun or twin Model 1926 /50 guns, the machine guns as designed, two
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
projectors and racks. The three vessels that survived the war (''Annamite'', ''Chevreuil'', ''Gazelle'') were rearmed in 1948 and received twin Model 1926 90 mm/50 guns, a single 40 mm/60 Mk.3 gun and six single 20 mm/70 Mk.2 guns, two depth charge projectors and racks. The ships that were completed about the same time (''Bisson'', ''Cdt Amyot d'Inville'', ''Cdt de Pimodan'') were fitted with twin /45 SK C/32 guns, but were otherwise the same. The three ships that were commissioned by the Germans during the war were fitted with German armaments. All received two single SK C/32 guns, a twin /83 SK C/30 AA gun, and a quadruple 20 mm/65 C/38 AA gun. Two ships (''SG14'' and ''SG15'') were armed with a further ten single C/38 guns, while the ''SG21'' had two twin and six single guns of the same type.


Ships


Completed pre-war

* ''Chamois'' (A34) was laid down in November 1936 at the ''Arsenal de
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
'', launched on 29 April 1938, and commissioned in late 1939. She served as a convoy escort until the
Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...
in May 1940. She was scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942, but raised on 7 March 1943 and assigned to the Italian ''
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'' as ''FR53''. She was seized by Germany on 9 September 1943 following the
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, but was sunk by Allied bombing at Toulon on 24 November 1943. On 7 March 1944 she was refloated and towed to Brégaillon, where she was scrapped after the end of the war. * ''Chevreuil'' (A10) was laid down at the ''Arsenal de Lorient'' in June 1937, launched on 17 June 1939, and commissioned on 1 September 1939. She was seized by the British at
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during
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on 3 July 1940, and transferred to the
Free French Naval Forces The Free French Naval Forces (, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier. History In the wake of the Armistice and the Appeal of 18 June, Charles de Ga ...
in September. While serving as a convoy escort, she was damaged in a storm and was out of service from November 1940 until April 1941. She then served as a
submarine tender A submarine tender, in British English a submarine depot ship, is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of foo ...
at
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until sent to serve in the French Pacific islands in August 1941. After a refit at
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, in August 1943, she sailed via the Panama Canal to the
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to be rearmed, before being assigned to
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in March 1944 for convoy escort operations. Her pennant number was changed to F735 in 1950, and in October 1959 she was sold to Tunisia and renamed ''Destur''. * (A08) was laid down in April 1937 at the ''Arsenal de Lorient'', launched on 17 June 1939, and commissioned on 20 October 1939. She took part in the
Battle of Dakar The Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies of World War II, Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal). It was hoped that the succ ...
on 23 September 1940. She was later captured and transferred to the Free French Naval Forces in November 1942. In January 1946 she arrived at
Cochinchina Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; ; ; ; ) is a historical exonym and endonym, exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts, usually for Southern Vietnam. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer t ...
and took part in the
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
. Her pennant number was changed to F736 in 1950. She served in the Indian Ocean from 1949 to 1957, when she returned to France to serve as training ship at the ''
École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...
''. In January 1959 she took part in maritime surveillance operations off
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. Decommissioned on 8 September 1961, she was later scrapped at
Mers El Kébir Mers El Kébir ( ) is a port on the Mediterranean Sea, near Oran in Oran Province, northwest Algeria. It is famous for the attack on the French fleet in 1940, in the Second World War. History Originally a Phoenician port, it was called ''Port ...
. * was laid down in April 1938 at the ''Arsenal de Lorient'' as ''Bambora''. She was launched on 17 June 1939, and commissioned in March 1940 as ''Surprise''. She was sunk by on 8 November 1942 off
Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
during
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
. * ''Annamite'' (A09) was laid down in April 1938 at the ''Arsenal de Lorient'', launched on 17 June 1939, and commissioned on 1 February 1940. In April 1941 she was sent to
Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...
as escort to the submarines ''Dauphin'', ''Espadon'', and ''Phoque'' of the ''10ème Division Sous-Marine'' ("10th Submarine Division"). In September 1942 she was ordered to the south Atlantic where she rescued 42 survivors from the
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. She was captured following
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
and transferred to the Free French Naval Forces in November 1942. In October 1945 she was sent to
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and served during the
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
. Her pennant number was changed to F734 in 1950. She was renamed ''Chamois'' in 1953. In January 1961 she was sold to Morocco and renamed ''El Lahiq''. She was scrapped in 1967.


Completed by Germany

* ''Amiral Sénès'' was laid down on 26 October 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'' at
Port-de-Bouc Port-de-Bouc (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department The following is a list of the 119 communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of ...
, but work was halted after the
Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...
in May 1940. Work was resumed on 25 June 1940, and in February 1943 she was handed over to the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi 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 military branch, branche ...
'' and designated ''SG16''. She was launched on 19 October 1943, and commissioned on 29 March 1944 as ''SG21 Bernd von Arnim'', assigned to the ''6. Sicherungs-Flottille'' ("6th Security Flotilla") based at
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. ''SG21'' was sunk by the destroyer on 15 August 1944 in the Battle of Port Cros during
Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...
. * ''Enseigne Ballande'' was laid down in August 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'' at Port-de-Bouc. She was captured by the Germans on the stocks following the Fall of France in May 1940, and launched on 25 May 1942 as ''SG22''. She was never completed, and was scuttled on 20 August 1944. * ''Matelot Leblanc'' was laid down on 10 November 1939 by the ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'' at Port-de-Bouc. She was captured by the Germans in June 1940 still incomplete. Work recommenced on 29 January 1941, and she was launched on 10 July 1942. On 13 February 1943 she was handed over to the ''Kriegsmarine'' and designated ''SG41''. This was changed to ''SG14'' on 15 May 1943, and she was commissioned into the ''4. Geleit-Flottille'' ("4th Escort Flotilla") on 5 June 1943. ''SG14'' was sunk by two Allied aircraft while anchored south of
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on 24 August 1943. * ''Rageot de la Touche'' was laid down on 10 November 1939 by the ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'' at Port-de-Bouc. She was captured by the Germans in June 1940 still incomplete. Work recommenced on 29 January 1941, and she was launched on 2 September 1942. On 13 February 1943 she was handed over to the ''Kriegsmarine'' and designated ''SG42''. This was changed to ''SG15'' on 15 May 1943, and she was commissioned into the ''3. Geleit-Flottille'' ("3rd Escort Flotilla") on 3 October 1943. On 6 December 1943 she came to the assistance of the troopship ''Virgilio'', which had been torpedoed by the submarine . On 25 January 1944 she was transferred to the ''10. Torpedoboot-Flottille'', and on 16 May 1944 was renamed ''UJ2229'' and reassigned to the ''22. U-Bootsjagdflottille'' ("22nd Anti-submarine Flotilla") to serve as a
submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...
. On 5 September 1944 she was seriously damaged during an air raid on the port of
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. She was repaired, and resumed service, but was eventually torpedoed and sunk by the submarine off Genoa on 26 April 1945.


Completed post-war

* ''Bisson'' (A05) was laid down in 1939 by the ''Arsenal de Lorient'' as the ''Ambitieuse'', but was not launched until 5 March 1946, and was commissioned in 1947 as ''Bisson''. Her pennant number was changed to F737 in 1950. She was scrapped in 1964. * ''Commandant Amyot d'Inville'' (A07) was laid down in December 1939 by the ''
Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL) was a French shipbuilding company of the late 19th and early 20th century. The name translates roughly to English as "Workshops and Shipyard of the Loire". Early years In the eighteenth century Nantes ...
'' in
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
as the ''Victorieuse''. She was captured by the Germans in June 1940, and construction was continued, but she was still incomplete in May 1945 when she was found in the port of
Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...
. The ship was finally completed, launched on 15 January 1947, and commissioned on 8 January 1948 as the ''Commandant Amyot d'Inville''. In March 1948 she was assigned to the ''9ème Division d'Avisos'', part of Maritime Forces Far East, to serve in the
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
. Her pennant number was changed to F738 in 1950. She eventually returned to Toulon in December 1954 to refit. She returned to service in November 1955, and in January 1956 sailed to
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
for coastal surveillance duties. On 2 February 1957 she was assigned to the ''1ère Division d'Avisos'' at Brest to serve as a training ship. She was finally put into reserve on 18 August 1964, and struck on 15 July 1966. * ''Commandant de Pimodan'' (A06) was laid down by the ''Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire'' at Nantes on 28 December 1939 as ''Alfred de Courcy'', but work was halted after the
Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...
in May 1940. Construction resumed in June 1940 under the control of the Germans, and although she was launched on 29 May 1942, progress was very slow, and she was still not complete by the end of the war. Work on the ship continued and she was eventually commissioned on 1 July 1947 as ''Commandant de Pimodan''. In February 1948 she arrived at
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
for service in the
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
. In March 1949 she sailed to
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to evacuate French nationals. Her pennant number was changed to F739 in 1950. After a refit at
Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...
between December 1950 and September 1951 she returned to Indochina. After another refit at Uraga, Japan, between 20 September 1953 and 2 March 1954, she sailed for Toulon where she was placed in reserve in January 1955. She was reactivated in January 1956 for operations in North Africa until November 1956. After a refit at Oran she sailed to Brest in May 1957 to serve as a training ship. On 24 August 1960 she was awarded the Croix de guerre with palm. On 15 August 1964 she was put into reserve, and was eventually struck on 1 June 1976.


Not completed

* ''Amiral Duperré'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire'', but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Amiral Gourdon'' was laid down in 1939 by ''
Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée Forges or Les Forges may refer to: In Belgium *Forges, Belgium, a village and a former municipality that is now a part of Chimay, Wallonia In France * Forges, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department *Forges, Maine-et-Loire, in th ...
'' at
La Seyne La Seyne-sur-Mer (; "La Seyne on Sea"; ), or simply La Seyne, is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. La Seyne-sur-Mer, which is part of the agglomeration of Toulon, is situated adja ...
, but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Commandant Ducuing'' was laid down in 1939 by ''
Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde (literally translated ''Forges and dockyards of the Gironde'') was a French shipbuilder at Lormont near Bordeaux on the Gironde estuary. The company was previously called ''Usine de construction navale Chaigneau e ...
'',
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, as ''Preneuse''. She was eventually launched on 8 June 1948 as ''Commandant Ducuing'', but further work was abandoned. * ''Enseigne Bisson'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire'' at Nantes, but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Furieuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée'', La Seyne, but construction was cancelled in 1940. * ''Généreuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Arsenal de Lorient'', but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Heureuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Arsenal de Lorient'', but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Joyeuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'', Port-de-Bouc, but construction was cancelled in 1940. * ''Malicieuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Arsenal de Lorient'', but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Rieuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde'', Bordeaux, but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Sérieuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde'', Bordeaux, but construction was abandoned in June 1940. * ''Trompeuse'' was laid down in 1939 by ''Ateliers et Chantiers de Provence'', Port-de-Bouc, but construction was cancelled in 1940.


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * {{WWII French ships Mine warfare vessel classes Minesweepers of the French Navy Ship classes of the French Navy