Tourville-class frigate

De Grasse
Class overview
Name: Tourville class
Operators:  French Navy
Preceded by: Aconit
Succeeded by: Georges Leygues class
Completed: 3
Retired: 3
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement:
Length: 152.75 m (501 ft 2 in)
Beam: 15.80 m (51 ft 10 in)
Draught: 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × Rateau steam turbines, double reduction
  • 4 × multi-tubular boilers
  • 2 × fixed propellers
  • 58,000 shp (43,251 kW)
  • Fuel: Gazoil
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range:
  • 1,900 nmi (3,500 km; 2,200 mi) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
  • 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement:
  • 24 officers
  • 160 non-commissioned officers
  • 115 men
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • DRBV 51B surface sentry radar
  • DRBV 26A air sentry radar
  • DRBC 32D targeting radar
  • 2 × DRBN 34 navigation radars
  • DUBV 23 hull sonar
  • ETBF DSBV 62C sonar
  • DSBX 1 towed sonar
  • Syva torpedo alert system
  • SENIT 3 tactical data processing
  • SEAO/OPSMER combat decision-making system
  • HF, UHF, VHF and SHF liaison systems
  • Syracuse 2
  • Inmarsat
  • Link 11
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • ARBB 32 jammer
  • ARBR 16 radar interceptor
  • 2 × Syllex decoy launchers
  • Bubble belt
Armament:
  • Anti-ship;
  • 6 × Exocet MM38 anti-ship missiles
  • Anti-submarine;
  • 2 × L5 torpedo launchers, 10 torpedoes on board (L5 mod 4)
  • Guns;
  • 2 × 100 mm turrets (1968 model)
  • 2 × 20 mm cannons
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
  • CIWS;
  • 1 × Crotale EDIR CIWS anti-air missiles (8 missiles on launcher, 16 in magazine)
Aircraft carried: 2 × Lynx WG13 anti-ship helicopters

The F67 type, also known as the Tourville class is a class of large high-sea (blue water) destroyers of the French Navy specialised in anti-submarine warfare. They have anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.

Between 1994 and 1996, Tourville and De Grasse were refitted with the modern SLASM anti-submarine system, and active Very Low Frequency (VLF) sonar.

Design

Close-up of the bow deck of Tourville; the 100 mm turret is clearly visible
The Crotale missile launcher

The ships are an enlarged version of the frigate Aconit. They have two shaft steam turbine machinery and a double hangar for two Lynx WG13 helicopters. They were the first ships fitted with the marine version of the Crotale surface-to-air missile system. A Malafon anti-submarine missile system was fitted when the ships were built but this was removed during refits in the late 1980s.

Optimized for anti-submarine warfare, and carrying towed as well as hull-mounted sonar arrays, the Tourvilles were typically placed in the destroyer category of warship and carry destroyer pennant numbers. Similar in many regards to the unmodified Spruance-class destroyers, they carried a similar combination of sensors, naval guns, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, aircraft and surface-to-air missiles. Additionally, they were well-regarded for their seakeeping, serving much of their careers in the Atlantic rather than with France's Mediterranean fleet.[1]

Ships

The three ships of the class, D612 De Grasse, D611 Duguay-Trouin and D610 Tourville, are named major figures from French naval history. De Grasse and Tourville were French admirals and Duguay-Trouin coming to fame as a privateer.

The three ships of the class were all constructed by Arsenal de Lorient.

Pennant number Ship Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Status
D610 Tourville 13 May 1972 21 June 1974 16 June 2011[2] Laid Up
D611 Duguay-Trouin 1 June 1973 17 September 1975 13 July 1999 Discarded, in use as a breakwater
D612 De Grasse 30 November 1974 1 October 1977 5 May 2013[3] Laid Up

Notes

  1. ↑ "Global Security.org: Tourville". Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "La frégate Tourville prend sa retraite" [The frigate Tourville retires]. Mer et Marine (in French). 15 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "La frégate De Grasse retirée du service actif". Mer et Marine (in French). 13 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.

References

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