French sloop Commandant Dominé

History
France
Name:	Commandant Dominé
Builder:	Ateliers et Chantiers Dubigeon, Nantes
Laid down:	February 1938
Launched:	2 May 1939
Commissioned:	April 1940
Decommissioned:	18 August 1960
Fate:	Scrapped, October 1960
General characteristics [1]
Class & type:	Élan-class minesweeping sloop
Displacement:	630 t (620 long tons) or 647 t (637 long tons) standard[2] 890 t (876 long tons) to 900 t (886 long tons) full[2]
Length:	78.30 m (256 ft 11 in) o/a[2] 73.81 m (242 ft 2 in) p/p[2]
Beam:	8.70 m (28 ft 7 in)[2]
Draught:	3.28 m (10 ft 9 in)[2]
Propulsion:	2 × Sulzer diesel engines, 4,600 hp (3,430 kW), 2 shafts[2]
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[2]
Range:	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) 5,200 nmi (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[3] Fuel capacity: 95 or 105 tonnes[3]
Complement:	88 in peacetime;[3] 104 or 106 during the war[3]
Armament:	As built: 1 × single M1892 or M1932 100 mm/45 gun or 1 × twin M1926 90 mm/50 guns 1 × quad 13.2 mm/76 AA gun 2 × twin 13.2 mm/76 AA guns 2 depth charge throwers 1 depth charge rack

Commandant Dominé (U70/A15/F742) was a French Élan-class minesweeping sloop (Avisos dragueur de mines) that served in World War II.

Ship history

Commandant Dominé was built by Ateliers et Chantiers Dubigeon in Nantes,^[4] laid down in February 1938, launched on 2 May 1939^[5] and commissioned in April 1940. She was seized by the British on 3 July 1940 and transferred to the Free French Naval Forces,^[1][6] seeing service in the Battle of Dakar ("Operation Menace") in September 1940.

The ship was rearmed by the British in 1941. Her main armament was replaced by twin QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval guns, and she also received a single QF 2-pounder pom-pom^[2] AA gun to replace the quadruple 13.2 mm/76 AA guns.^[1] She retained her original twin 13.2 mm/76 AA guns, but had an additional four twin and two single 12.7 mm/62 machine guns installed.^[2][1]

Post-war she remained in service with the French Navy.^[1][6] In 1947 she was rearmed again, with a single German 105 mm/45 calibre SK C/32 gun as main armament, a single Bofors 40 mm/60 Mk.3 and four single 20 mm/70 Mk.2 Oerlikons.^[2][1]

Commandant Dominé was decommissioned on 18 August 1960,^[1][6] and scrapped in October 1960.^[5]

References

Notes

1. "Élan class avisos-minesweepers (1939-1940)". navypedia.org. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
2. Le Masson 1969, p. 16.
3. Le Masson 1969, p. 17.
4. Le Masson 1969, pp. 17–21.
5. Le Masson 1969, p. 18.
6. "Classe: Élan". users.swing.be (in French). Retrieved 19 September 2010.

Bibliography

• Le Masson, Henri (1969). The French Navy. Navies of the Second World War 2. London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. pp. 16–22. ISBN 9780356023847.