Le Fantasque (Ship, 1934)

Le Fantasque

Le Fantasque on June 13, 1943 in Casco Bay

Ship data flag  France Free France   Ship type Large Destroyer class Le Fantasque class Shipyard Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient Keel laying November 16, 1931 Launch March 15, 1934 Commissioning November 15, 1935 Whereabouts Struck from the fleet list in September 1953 and canceled in 1958

Ship dimensions and crew length 132.4 m ( Lüa ) width 12 m Draft Max. 4.5 m displacement Standard : 2,569 ts maximum: 3,417 ts   crew 265 men

Machine system machine 4 × water tube boilers 2 × Parsons turbines Machine performance 74,000 PS (54,427 kW) Top speed 37 kn (69 km / h) propeller 2

Armament 5 × Sk 13.86 cm L / 40 model 1929 (5 × 1) 4 × Flak 3.7 cm L / 60 model 1925 (4 × 1) 4 × MG 13.2 mm / 76 Hotchkiss M1929 (2 × 2) 9 × torpedo tube ⌀ 55.0 cm (3 × 3) Water bombs , 2 launchers, 1 drop frame 40 sea ​​mines

The Le Fantasque (German: Die Launische) was a large destroyer ( French Contre-Torpilleurs) of the Le Fantasque class of the French Navy and type ship of its class. She survived the war and was only removed from the fleet list in 1953.

Machine system

The drive system of Le Fantasque consisted of four water tube boilers and two Parsons turbines . These drove the two screws via two drive shafts. The machines performed 74,000 WPS . This enabled a speed of 37 knots (about 67 km / h) to be achieved.

Armament

The main artillery of the Le Fantasque consisted of five 13.86 cm L / 40 guns of the 1929 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 Le Fantasque had four 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns (L / 60) of the 1925 model in a single configuration and four machine guns 13.2 mm / 76 Hotchkiss M1929 in a double configuration. As a torpedo armament, the destroyer had nine torpedo tubes in three groups of three for the torpedo 23DT Toulon . For submarine defense possessed Le Fantasque two water bombers at the tail and there was the opportunity to take to 40 sea mines.

Classification

The Le Fantasque was built and classified as a major destroyer. Because of her size and above all her speed, she was reclassified as a light cruiser , like all ships of the Le Fantasque class, on November 28, 1943 . On July 1, 1951, the ship was reclassified as a 1st class rapid escort destroyer (French destroyer-escorteurs de 1re classe). Although only lying in reserve and no longer ready to drive, in 1953 a new reclassification as a fast escort (French escorteur rapide) took place.

Whereabouts

The Le Fantasque was in active fleet service until August 1950. A planned extensive overhaul of the ship in Bizerte , French Tunisia , was not carried out due to its poor overall condition. The ship was instead placed in reserve. In September 1953, the no longer roadworthy Le Fantasque was towed to Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer , hung up and deleted from the fleet list in the same year. The ship was canceled in 1958.

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 978-1-61251-408-6 .
• 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 : Le Fantasque  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information about the Le Fantasque 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.