Le Hardi-class destroyer

The Le Hardi class was a group of twelve French Navy destroyers (torpilleurs) laid down between 1936 and 1938. Eight ships were commissioned in 1940, with four ships never finished. They were the lighter counterparts to the very fast larger destroyers of the, and the successors of.

The ships of the Le Hardi class were significantly heavier than the L'Adroit's, carrying two additional 130 mm guns in enclosed turrets and an extra torpedo tube. They were also 4 knots faster, being designed to operate with the new French fast battleships FRENCH BATTLESHIP Dunkerque and FRENCH BATTLESHIP Strasbourg.

Some of the eight ships of the class were renamed in 1941, taking the names of destroyers previously sunk during the war.

Ships
The ships of the class were:

Service history
The entire class was scuttled in Toulon harbour in November 1942 to prevent them falling into German hands.

Three ships — Épée/L'Adroit, Fleuret/Foudroyant and Lansequenet — were raised, repaired and commissioned into the Italian Navy during 1943 as FR33, FR36 and FR35 respectively. When Italy switched sides, all three were captured by the Germans. Épée was captured in turn by the Allies and the other two scuttled once more to prevent capture.

ZF2
The hull of the L'Opiniâtre was captured intact and 16% complete in Bordeaux, and the Kriegsmarine intended to complete her for service. Since French armament was not available and for standardisation with the rest of the German Navy, 12.7 cm guns and German pattern torpedo tubes were ordered. Work proceeded tardily until all progress was abandoned in July 1943. The hull was eventually broken up on the slip.