Vauquelin

Photographed on the 24 May 1981 at Chatham during Navy Days, this was to be the last Navy Day event at before the base closed down, the event scheduled for 1982 being cancelled due to the Falklands War.

 

Vauquelin belonged to the T 47 (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 Georges Leygues class frigates

The ships were designed as fleet escorts rather than for independent operations therefore had a slower speed than their predecessors. The main guns were a French design firing a 127mm (5 inch) shell, which enabled them to use US ammunition.

 

Original design

Displacement: 2750 tons standard, 3740 tons full load

Length: 128.6 m

Beam: 12.7 m

Draught: 5.4 m

Machinery: 2 shaft geared turbines, 4 boilers, 63,000 hp

Speed: 34 knots

Range: 5000 nmi at 18 knots

Armament:

6 - 127mm guns (3 twin turrets)

6 - 57mm guns (3 twin turrets)

4 - 20mm guns (4x1)

12 - 550mm torpedo tubes (4x3)

Crew: 347

 

Vauquelin was refitted to concentrate on ASW mission. To this purpose, she was fitted with the Malafon (ASROC) system and towed sonar array on the stern, along with a change in her armament. She was homeported at Brest, the Vauquelin had the task of protecting the transit of French SSBNs and sea lanes of communication

 

Revised Armament

2 100mm guns

2 20mm guns

6 torpedo-launchers (12 torpedoes)

1 Malafon (ASROC) system with 13 missiles

1 ASW 305mm rocket launcher.

 

 

She was decommissioned in 1986.

 

Done