Bougainville-class aviso

The Bougainville class was a type of colonial aviso or sloop of the French Navy of the 1930s that were designed to operate in remote locations of the French Empire.

The ten ships of the Bougainville class were built from 1931 to 1940 in various French naval yards. The ships were designed to operate autonomously from French colonies in Asia and Africa with a capacity of 297 tons of diesel, giving a endurance distance of 13,000 nmi. Their shallow draught allowed them to operate on large rivers, while carrying an infantry company. In this respect they were an improvement over existing gunboats.

Eight of the Bougainville-class avisos were commissioned, the two remaining ships (Le Beautemps-Beaupré and La Pérouse) were still under construction during the Fall of France. Le Beautemps-Beaupré was scuttled in the Gironde Estuary on 24 June 1940.

The ships of the Bougainville class had varied careers that were typical of French Naval ships of the period and were torn between the Free French Naval Forces and Navy of Vichy France. With the ships of Vichy France being hunted by both the Axis and Allies at different times during the war.

On 9 November 1940 there was a rare case of fratricide between two ships of the same class when FRENCH AVISO Bougainville, lead ship of the class and loyal to the Vichy government, fought her sister ship FRENCH AVISO Savorgnan de Brazza, who served in the FNFL. This battle happened off of Libreville, during the Battle of Gabon. After a short exchange of fire Savorgnan de Brazza had reduced Bougainville to a wreck and forced her to beach to avoid sinking. Bougainville later foundered in March 1941 during a re-floating operation.

The Dumont d'Urville and Amiral Charner took part in the Battle of Koh Chang on 17 January 1941.

The La Grandière was extensively modernised in 1944. Her anti-aircraft armament was replaced with 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon guns, and new anti-submarine armament of (4 depth charge throwers and 6 depth charge rails, with 66 charges) was installed. She also received two radars and a sonar.

Four ships survived the war and served during the Indochina War and in the Korean War.