| Tourville-class frigate | |
|---|---|
 Destroyer De Grasse | |
| Class overview | |
| Name: | F67 or Tourville-class |
| Succeeded by: | FREMM multipurpose frigate |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Active: | 0 |
| Retired: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: |
4,580 tonnes standard 6,100 tonnes fully loaded |
| 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: |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
|
| Armament: |
Anti-ship;
Anti-submarine;
Guns;
CIWS;
|
| Aircraft carried: |
|
The F67 type 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, the Tourville and the 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 the Tourville; the 100 mm turret is clearly visible
The Crotale missile launcher
The ships are an enlarged version of the F65 class frigate Aconit. They have two shaft steam turbine machinery and a double hangar for two Lynx 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 Tourville's 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 the 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 | Disequiped, in use as a breakwater |
| D612 | De Grasse | 30 November 1974 | 1 October 1977 | 4 September 2013 |
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourville-class frigate. |
- ↑ "Global Security.org: Tourville". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/tourville.htm. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ↑ "La frégate Tourville prend sa retraite" (in French). The frigate Tourville retires. 15 June 2011. http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=116497. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947-1995
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