Milan (ship, 1931)

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Milan
Milan (approx. 1936–37)
Milan (approx. 1936–37)
Ship data
flag FranceFrance (national flag of the sea) France
other ship names

1, 4, X113, X111

Ship type Large Destroyer
class Aigle class
Shipyard Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient
Keel laying December 1, 1930
Launch October 13, 1931
Commissioning April 20, 1934
Whereabouts Stranded badly damaged off Casablanca on November 8, 1942
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 Milan (German: Milan ) was a large destroyer ( French Contre-Torpilleurs) of the Aigle class of the French Navy . She was attacked on November 8, 1942 off Casablanca by ships of Task Force 34 and badly damaged by American destroyer Wilkes .

Machine system

The Milan propulsion system 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 Milan consisted of five 13.86 cm L / 40 cannons of the 1927 model in single 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 Milan 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.

Mission history

During the German invasion of Norway, the Milan escorted two Allied convoys to Namsos and Harstad between April 18 and 27, 1940 . The convoys transported French mountain troops (French: Chasseurs Alpins) to Norway. On May 3 and 4, 1940, the Milan advanced into the Skagerrak together with the French large destroyers Le Chevalier Paul and Tartu and the British destroyers Sikh and Tartar . However, they did not encounter any enemy ships.

On June 15, 1940, the Milan brought the French General Charles de Gaulle from Brest to Plymouth . He was in London for talks with the British government .

Whereabouts

The burned-out wreck of the Milan near Casablanca (1942)

On November 8, 1942, the Milan got into a battle with Task Force 34 off Casablanca. The American destroyer Wilkes was able to hit the Milan several times and cause serious damage. To prevent the ship from sinking, the ship ran aground on the beach, but burned out there. The Milan was recovered and demolished after the war.

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 : Milan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

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.
  3. ^ Jürgen Rohwer, Gerhard Hümmelchen: Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945 . Greenhill Books, London 1992, pp. 17-19 ISBN 1-85367-117-7 . (English)