T 47-class destroyer

T 47-class destroyer
Model of Chevalier Paul (D626) in her original configuration.
Class overview
Name:	T 47 or Surcouf class
Builders:	Arsenal de Brest Arsenal de Lorient Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne
Operators:	French Navy
Preceded by:	Fantasque class, Hardi class
Succeeded by:	T 53 class
Subclasses:	Anti-submarine and anti-air variants after refit
In commission:	1955-1991
Completed:	12
Preserved:	Maillé-Brézé
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	2,750 long tons (2,794 t) standard 3,740 long tons (3,800 t) full load
Length:	128.6 m (422 ft)
Beam:	12.7 m (41 ft 8 in)
Draught:	5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Installed power:	63,000 shp (47 MW)
Propulsion:	4 diesel boilers Parsons geared steam turbines 2 shafts
Speed:	34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range:	5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement:	347
Armament:	As built: 6 × Model 1948 127 mm (5 in) guns (3 twin turrets) 6 × 57 mm (2.2 in) guns (3 twin turrets) 4 × 20 mm (0.8 in) guns (4×1) 12 × 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes (4×3)

The T 47 class (or Surcouf class) were the first destroyers built for the French Navy after the Second World War. Twelve ships were built between 1955 and 1957. The ships were modernised in the 1960s and decommissioned in the 1980s, when they were replaced by the Georges Leygues-class frigates.

These ships were larger than other contemporary European destroyers and were based on the wartime Hardi class, but were enlarged and had a dual purpose armament. The ships were designed as Squadron escorts (Escorteur d'escadre) rather than for independent operations, therefore they had a slower speed than their predecessors. The main guns were the French designed Model 1948 127-millimetre (5 in)/54 gun, which enabled them to use the same 5-inch shells as the U.S. Mark 18 gun. The secondary armament was composed of 57mm/60 modèle 1951 guns.

Modifications

During the 1960s the entire class were modernised and modified as either flotilla flagships, anti-aircraft guided missile or anti-submarine destroyers.

Flagships

Three ships — Surcouf, Cassard, and Chevalier Paul — were converted into flotilla flagships (conducteurs de flottilles) between 1960 and 1962. One 57 mm gun turret, two triple torpedo launchers and two 20 mm guns were removed in order to enlarge the superstructure to accommodate an admiral, his staff, and additional communications equipment.

AAW modernisation

Bouvet (D624) after her "Tartar" refit

Four ships — Bouvet, Kersaint, Dupetit-Touhars and Du Chayla — were modernised as anti-aircraft guided missile destroyers in 1962–1965.

Armament

• 1 × Tartar missile launcher
• 6 × 57 mm guns (3 twin turrets)
• 1 × Model 1972 sextuple 375 mm anti-submarine mortar
• Crew: reduced to 277

ASW modernisation

Five ships — D'Estrées, Maillé-Brézé, Vauquelin, Casabianca and Guépratte — were modernised as anti-submarine destroyers in 1968–1970.

Armament

• 2 × 100 mm guns
• 1 × anti-submarine mortar
• 1 × Malafon anti-submarine missile launcher
• 2 × 20 mm guns

Ships

Pennant	Name	Named after	Builder	Commissioned	Modernisation	Fate
D621	Surcouf	Robert Surcouf	Arsenal de Lorient	1 November 1955	Flagship	Accidentally rammed in 1971 Surviving aft part sunk as target in 1972
D622	Kersaint	Armand de Kersaint	Arsenal de Lorient	20 March 1956	Anti-air	Decommissioned 3 March 1984 Sunk as a target in the Atlantic, May 1986
D623	Cassard	Jacques Cassard	AC Bretagne	14 April 1956	Flagship	Decommissioned 1 October 1974 Scrapped in Spain, 1989
D624	Bouvet	Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier	Arsenal de Lorient	13 May 1956	Anti-air	Decommissioned 1 January 1982 Served as breakwater at Lorient Towed to Ghent, Belgium, for scrapping, September 2012
D625	Dupetit-Thouars	Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars	Arsenal de Brest	15 September 1956	Anti-air	Decommissioned April 1988 Breakwater at Lanvéoc
D626	Chevalier Paul	Chevalier Paul	FC de la Gironde	22 December 1956	Flagship	Decommissioned June 1971 Sunk off Toulon by Super Étendard aircraft from the carrier Clemenceau, May 1987
D627	Maillé-Brézé	Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé	Arsenal de Lorient	4 May 1957	Anti-submarine	Decommissioned 1 April 1988 Museum ship at Nantes
D628	Vauquelin	Moise Vauquelin	Arsenal de Lorient	3 November 1956	Anti-submarine	Decommissioned 6 November 1986 Used as a target for testing the Crotale NG missile system, 1988-2001 Sunk by Super Étendard aircraft from the carrier Charles de Gaulle, 13 February 2004, then destroyed with explosives by clearance divers
D629	D'Estrées	Jean II and Victor-Marie d'Estrées	Arsenal de Brest	19 March 1957	Anti-submarine	Decommissioned 3 July 1985 Sunk off Toulon by a F17 Mod2 torpedo from the submarine Saphir, 12 September 2001
D630	Du Chayla	Armand Blanquet du Chayla	Arsenal de Brest	4 June 1957	Anti-air	Decommissioned 15 November 1991 Sunk off the coast of Brittany with explosives, September 2001
D631	Casabianca	Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca	AC Bretagne	4 May 1957	Anti-submarine	Decommissioned 7 September 1984 Sold for scrapping at Brest, 1987
D632	Guépratte	Émile Paul Amable Guépratte	FC de la Gironde	6 June 1957	Anti-submarine	Decommissioned 5 August 1985 Sunk in the Mediterranean by two Exocet AM39 missiles fired by a Super Étendard aircraft, 9 November 1994

T 47-class destroyer

Du Chayla at sea

Bridge and 100 mm gun turret of Maille Braize

Triple torpedo launcher on Kersaint

Tartar missile launcher on Kersaint

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995

External links

• ex-Bouvet D624 waiting scrapping May 2012 on ShipSpotting.com