Épervier (ship, 1931)

Épervier

Épervier in the harbor (stern view)

Ship data flag  France other ship names 2, 5, X112 Ship type Large Destroyer class Aigle class Shipyard Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient Keel laying August 18, 1930 Launch August 14, 1931 Commissioning April 1, 1934 Whereabouts Run aground on November 9, 1942, badly damaged, total loss

Ship dimensions and crew length 128.5 m ( Lüa ) width 11.8 m Draft Max. 4.4 m displacement Standard : 2,441 ts maximum: 3,140 ts   crew 217-227 men

Machine system machine 4 × Penhoët boiler, 2 × Parsons turbine Machine performance 64,000 PS (47,072 kW) Top speed 36 kn (67 km / h) propeller 2

Armament 5 × Sk 13.86 cm L / 40 model 1923 (5 × 1) 4 × Flak 3.7 cm L / 60 model 1925 (4 × 1) 6 × torpedo tube ⌀ 55.0 cm (2 × 3) 44 depth charges , 4 launchers, 2 dropping racks

The Épervier (German: European Sparrowhawk ) was a large destroyer ( French Contre-Torpilleurs) of the Aigle class of the French Navy . It was badly damaged on November 9, 1942 off Oran , stranded and was written off as a total loss.

Machine system

The drive system of the Épervier consisted of four Penhoët boilers and two Parsons turbines . These drove the two screws via two drive shafts. The machines performed 64,000 WPS . This enabled a top speed of 36 kn (about 67 km / h) to be achieved.

Armament

The main artillery of the Épervier consisted of five 13.86 cm L / 40 guns of the 1927 model in individual installation. This cannon could fire a 40.4 kilogram grenade over a maximum distance of 19,000 m. As anti-aircraft armament, the destroyer had four 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns (L / 60) of the 1925 model in stand-alone installation when it was commissioned. As a torpedo armament, the Épervier had six torpedo tubes in two groups of three for the torpedo 23DT Toulon . For anti-submarine defense, the ship had four depth charges at the stern with a total of 44 depth charges.

Whereabouts

On November 9, 1942, the Épervier got into a battle with the British light cruiser Aurora near Oran . The Épervier was badly damaged and the ship could only be prevented from sinking by running aground on the beach. Due to the severity of the damage, the ship was written off as a total loss. The wreck was recovered and demolished in 1946.

literature

• Roger Chesneau: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 . Conway Maritime Press, Greenwich 1980, ISBN 0-85177-146-7 .
• Vincent P. O'Hara: Struggle for the Middle Sea . Institute Press, New York 2013. ISBN 9781612514086 .
• Mike J. Whitley: Destroyer in World War II. Technology, classes, types . Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-613-01426-2 .
• John Jordan, Jean Moulin: French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956 . Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4 .

Web links

Commons : Aigle class  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Information about the Épervier at uboat.net (English).

Footnotes

1. ↑ 138.6 mm / 40 (5.46 ") Model 1927 gun data from navweaps.com. Accessed October 22, 2019. (English)
2. ↑ 23 DT, Toulon torpedo data on navweaps.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.