Le Fantasque-class Destroyer

The ''Le Fantasque'' class of six large, very fast destroyers was ordered under the French naval programme of 1930. They served in World War II for both Vichy France and the Free French Forces.

Design and description

The ''Le Fantasque''-class ships were designed to counter the fast Italian light cruisers, and one member of the class, , exceeded during trials to set a world record for a conventionally-hulled ship. They had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draft of . The ships displaced at standard and at deep load. The crew of the ''Le Fantasque'' class consisted of 11 officers and 221 crewmen in peacetime and the number of the latter increasing to 254 in wartime.

The ships were powered by two geared Rateau-Breguet or Parsons steam turbines, each driving one three-bladed propeller, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers with superheaters 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 trials, each of the ships greatly exceeded their designed speed, ranging from from . They carried a maximum of of fuel oil which gave them a range of at ; the Parsons-equipped ships were more economical. The ships were fitted with two turbo generators in the engine rooms. In addition, a pair of diesel generators were located in the aft engine room.

Armament and fire control

The main armament of the ''Le Fantasque''s consisted of five 50-caliber ''Canon de'' ''Modèle'' 1929 guns in single shielded mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure and the fifth gun abaft the aft funnel. Their mounts had a range of elevation from −10° to +30°, 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 ''Le Fantasque''s could stow 200 rounds for each gun, plus 75 star shells.

Their anti-aircraft (AA) armament consisted of two 50-caliber semi-automatic ''Modèle'' 1925 AA guns in single mounts positioned amidships. Their mounts could elevate from −15° to +80° and the guns had a maximum effective range of . Firing projectiles at a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. In addition there were two twin-gun mounts for Hotchkiss ''Mitrailleuse de'' CA ''Modèle 1929'' AA machine guns aft of the 37 mm mounts.

The ships carried three above-water triple sets of torpedo tubes; the aft mount could traverse to both sides, but the forward mounts were positioned one on each broadside. Their Mle 1923DT torpedoes had a TNT warhead 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 another dozen available in the torpedo magazine. The ships could be fitted with rails to drop forty Breguet B4 mines.

Fire control for the main guns was provided by a Mle 1929 electro-mechanical fire-control computer that used data provided by a OPL/SOM SJ.1 stereoscopic rangefinder atop the bridge. The ''Le Fantasque'' class ships were the first s to be fitted with a prototype remote-control gunnery system that was intended to automatically lay the guns on the target while compensating for the ship's motions. The electric motors were insufficiently sensitive and often overcompensated, while the circuit breakers for the elevation motors often tripped when trying to use the system while the ships were rolling heavily, taking the system off-line. A pair of OPL Mle J.1930 high-angle stereoscopic rangefinders were mounted on the superstructure amidships to control the anti-aircraft guns.

Modifications

In late 1936 the Mle 1929 computers were upgraded and the high-angle rangefinders amidships were replaced by OPL J4.1935 models during 1937. In December 1938 and April 1939, the Hotchkiss machine guns were transferred to newly built platforms on each side of the bridge and the OPL Mle J.1930 rangefinders formerly positioned amidships were installed on the bridge to control them. Development of the originally intended twin-gun mounts for the automatic 70-caliber Canon de 37 mm Modèle 1935 AA guns was completed three years late and they replaced the single-gun mounts between January and May 1940. Beginning in September the ships still in French hands were equipped with one or two Browning 13.2-millimeter anti-aircraft machine guns mounted on the quarterdeck. In 1941–1942 the quarterdeck guns were transferred to positions forward of the bridge and the Hotchkiss machine guns were repositioned on new platforms on the center superstructure. The ships had the aft superstructure remodeled at the same time to create a platform atop the aft ammunition hoists and platforms on each side for 37 mm guns. The twin-gun mounts was repositioned on the upper platform and one of the lower platforms while the other one was occupied by a single mount as there was a shortage of twin-gun mounts.

After the war began in September 1939, the depth-charge stowage aboard the ''Le Fantasque''s increased to 48. In addition the mine rails were replaced by a pair of rails for depth charges. Each rail could accommodate 3 depth charges and 15 more were stored in the magazine. In 1942 the four undamaged ships still under Vichy French control were given Alpha-2 sonar systems in cases. Based on the British Type 128 Asdic system, they could not be installed until the hull was modified to accommodate the required flexible underwater dome which was scheduled for the following year.

In Free French service

had been seized by the British in July 1940 and was turned over to the Free French. Later that year her aft superfiring 138.6 mm gun replaced by a British 4-inch (102 mm) Mk V AA gun and a Type 128 Asdic system was installed. The 35 kg depth charges and their rails were removed and the ship was fitted with four Modèle 1918 depth-charge throwers abreast the aft superstructure for depth charges. During a subsequent refit in mid-1941, the Hotchkiss machine guns were relocated to positions on the forecastle deck and their former positions were occupied by single mounts for 2-pounder () Mk II AA guns. A quadruple mount for Hotchkiss machine guns taken from the battleship was installed atop the aft superstructure and rails for British Mk VIIH depth charges were installed on the stern. A fixed antenna for a Type 286M search radar was also installed. A late 1942 refit in Australia exchanged the 13.2 mm machine guns for six Oerlikon light AA guns and the Type 286M radar was replaced by a Type 290 system with a rotating antenna.

While ''Le Triomphant'' was en route to the United States in 1944 for a comprehensive refit, its British Mk V AA gun was replaced by a 138.6 mm gun from . The Americans installed SA early-warning, SF surface-search and a British Type 285 fire-control radar, removed her aft torpedo tubes to save weight and converted some boiler feedwater tanks to fuel oil to improve her range. Her AA armament had been removed earlier and now consisted of six Bofors guns in twin-gun mount and eleven Oerlikon guns in single mounts.

In early 1943 and were similarly refitted in the United States although their anti-aircraft armament consisted of eight Bofors guns in one quadruple and two twin-gun mounts and eight Oerlikon guns in single mounts. After repairing damage suffered during the Naval Battle of Casablanca in November 1942 followed her sisters to the United States and was similarly refitted. In 1944–1945, the supplies of the French 200 kg depth charges began to run out so the depth charge chutes were sealed off and rails for Mk VIIIH depth charges were added to those ships that lacked them. In December 1944, ''Le Malin'' had her worn-out Mle 1929 guns replaced by salvaged Mle 1927 guns.Jordan & Moulin, pp. 268–273

Ships

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantasque-class destroyer

Destroyer classes
Ship classes of the French Navy