Suffren class (destroyer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Front view of the suffren
Suffren in the port of Toulon
Rear view - the two Masurca launchers at the rear are striking

The Suffren-class is a class of French guided missile destroyers . The type ship Suffren bears the identification number D 602. The only sister ship is the Duquesne with the identification number D 603.

history

The development of the Suffren class began due to the request of the French naval command for an escort vehicle for the large fleet aircraft carriers Clemenceau and Foch . The task of these ships was the control of the airspace and anti-submarine defense. Suffren was launched at the Lorient Naval Shipyard on May 15, 1965 , and entered service in July 1967. The sister ship was launched on February 12, 1966 and entered service in April 1970. The ships were modernized as early as the late 1970s. The Suffren was retired in 2001, the Duquesne in 2007.

technical description

The Suffren class is a successful construction of its time. The designers paid special attention to the survivability of the ship during a nuclear conflict. For this it was necessary to design the entire ship so that the crew could reach every conceivable point on the ship without having to go on deck. In this way, the living spaces had to be conceptually designed differently than in other ships. In the Suffren class, they are only in the middle part of the ship and deep in the hull of the ship itself. In front of the actual tower of the radar system is the conspicuous structure of the air surveillance system. Except for the massive superstructure and the radar tower, all deck superstructures are kept small, which makes radar detection by enemy ships very difficult.

Armament

Designed as a missile destroyer, the missile is the main armament. Anti -ship missiles Exocet , anti-aircraft missiles Masurca and anti -submarine missiles Malafon are used . The Suffren class is artillery armed with two 100 mm cannons from the Creusot-Loire company . The fire control for missiles and artillery has been separated. The guns can also act independently if the central fire control fails. For this purpose, they were equipped with their own FuMe weapons control systems. Furthermore, the Suffren class has four torpedo launchers for the DTCN L5 torpedo . Initially, the Suffren class still had two 30-mm automatic cannon on the stern, but they were later dismantled in favor of the Exocet launchers.

Air surveillance and submarine detection

The most striking thing about the Suffren-class ships is the teardrop-shaped dome of the radar system. In this eleven meter high structure there is a sea and air surveillance station DR. BV. - 50 and the navigation radar system DR. BN. - 32. These systems guarantee 360 ​​° all-round surveillance. Furthermore, ECM systems are installed that interfere with opposing radar and protect your own radar. The Suffren class has a sonar DU installed on the bow for submarine detection. BV.-23, so a 360 ° all-round search is possible both actively and with passive searches. At the stern is a towing sonar DU. BV.-43. This can be pulled up to 200 m behind the ship on a supply cable. The Suffren class can still run at a top speed of 24 knots.

Technical specifications

  • Country of operation: France
  • Type: guided missile destroyer
  • Length: 157.60 m
  • Width: 15.50 m
  • Draft: 6.10 m
  • Displacement: 6,090 t
  • Drive: 2 × Rateau - steam turbines for twin screws
  • Output: 53,320 kW / 72,500 PS
  • Speed: 34 kn
  • Range: 9,260 km (5,000 nm)
  • Armament
    • 4 × single launchers for Exocet MM 38 anti-ship missiles
    • 1 × 2-way launcher for Masurca anti-aircraft missiles
    • 1 × 1-way anti-submarine missile launcher Malafon
    • 2 × 100 mm multipurpose guns Creusot-Loire Mod. 64
    • 4 × 550 mm torpedo tubes
  • Crew: 446 men

literature

  • Robert Jackson: Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes . Gondromverlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1873-5 .
  • Hans Mehl: Torpedo Boats and Destroyers . VEB Publishing House for Transport, Berlin 1983.
  • Gino Galuppini: Encyclopedia of Warships . Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-828-7 .

Web links

Commons : Suffren class  - collection of images