Guépard-class destroyer

The Guépard-class destroyers (contre-torpilleurs) were six ships of the French Navy, laid down in 1927 and commissioned in 1930. They were similar to the previous Chacal class, with a larger hull and with a slightly improved speed and gun armament with 138 mm guns of a new design. The first three ships bore 'animal' names like the Chacals, while the remaining three were given names starting with V, for two battles and a field-marshal. The class saw action in World War II.

Guépard class destroyer
Class overview
Name	Guépard class
Operators	French Navy  Regia Marina  Kriegsmarine
Preceded by	Chacal class
Succeeded by	Aigle class
Built	1927–1931
In commission	1929–1945
Completed	6
Lost	6
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	2,436 t (2,398 long tons) (standard) 3,220 t (3,170 long tons) (full load)
Length	130.2 m (427 ft 2 in)
Beam	11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Draft	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Installed power	4 du Temple boilers 64,000 PS (47,000 kW; 63,000 shp)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph)
Range	3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph)
Crew	12 officers, 224 crewmen (wartime)
Armament	5 × single 138.6 mm (5.5 in) guns 4 × single 37 mm (1.5 in) AA guns 2 × triple 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes 2 chutes; 4 throwers for 28 depth charges

Ships

• Bison^[1]

Built by Arsenal de Lorient.

Completed 10 October 1930.

She was sunk by German Junkers Ju 87 Stukas while taking part in the evacuation of Namsos, on 3 May 1940, off Trondheim. Out of 229 members on the crew, 136 were lost.^[2] Survivors from Bison were picked up by HMS Afridi, which was then also sunk by the Stukas.

• Guépard ("Cheetah")^[3]

Built by Arsenal de Lorient.

Completed 13 August 1929,

Scuttled 27 November 1942.

Refloated 4 September 1943.

Bombed and sunk March 1944.

Refloated 1947 and broken up.

• Lion^[4]

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de France, Dunkirk.

Completed 21 January 1931.

Seized by Germans 27 November 1942.

Given to Italy and entered service as FR 21.

Scuttled La Spezia 9 September 1943.

• Valmy (named after the battle of Valmy)^[5]

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de St Nazaire-Penhoët, St. Nazaire

Completed 1 January 1930.

Seized by Germans 27 November 1942.

Refloated 15 March 1943 and began refit as Italian Navy FR 24

Captured by Germans at Savona September 1943

Wreck found at Genoa 1945 and broken up.

• Verdun (named after the battle of Verdun)^[6]

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, St Nazaire.

Completed 1 April 1930.

Scuttled 27 November 1942.

Refloated 29 September 1943.

Bombed and sunk 1944

Refloated 1948 and broken up in Italy.

• Vauban (named after Marshal Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban)^[7]

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de France, Dunkirk.

Completed 9 January 1931.

Scuttled 27 November 1942.

Refloated 12 May 1947 and broken up.

Notes

1. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Bison". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
2. Charles Hocking (1990). Dictionary of Disasters at Sea During The Age of Steam. The London Stamp Exchange, London. p. 87. ISBN 0-948130-68-7.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Guepard". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Lion". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Valmy". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
6. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Verdun". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
7. Helgason, Guðmundur (2013). "Vauban". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2013.

References

• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
• Cernuschi, Enrico & O'Hara, Vincent P. (2013). "Toulon: The Self-Destruction and Salvage of the French Fleet". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2013. London: Conway. pp. 134–148. ISBN 978-1-84486-205-4.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.