La Melpomène-class torpedo boat

Class overview
Name: La Melpomène class
Operators:  French Navy
Completed: 12
Lost: 6
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement: 610 tons standard, 834 tons full load
Length: 81 m (265 ft 9 in)
Beam: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
Draught: 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in)
Installed power:
  • 5 boilers
  • 55,000 shp (41,000 kW)
Propulsion: Geared turbines, 2 shafts
Speed: 34.5 knots (63.9 km/h; 39.7 mph)
Complement: 8 officers, 94 men
Armament:
  • 2 × 100 mm (3.9 in) guns
  • 2 × 37 mm /50 DCA - 3.7 cm Mod 1933 AA guns
  • 2 × 13 mm/50 DCA - 1.3 cm Mod 1927 machine guns
  • 3 × 550 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes

The La Melpomène class was a group of 12 French torpedo boats built from 1933 to 1935.[1][2]

Ships in class

After serving with Marine Nationale, the ships of the La Melpomène class saw service in World War II with the Kriegsmarine, Marine Nationale de l´Armistice (Vichy French Navy), Regia Marina, Free French Navy, Royal Navy and United States Navy.[3]

Ship Builder Commissioned Fate
La Melpomène AC de Bretagne, Nantes 12 November 1936 Sold in 1950
La Pomone AC de la Loire, Nantes 6 December 1936 see below
La Flore AC de Bretagne, Nantes 17 November 1936 Sold in 1950
L'Iphigénie AC de la Loire, Nantes 21 November 1936 see below
La Bayonnaise C Maritimes du Sud Ouest, Bordeaux 7 April 1938 see below
Bombarde AC de la Loire, Nantes 1 August 1938 see below
L'Incomprise AC Seine Maritime, Le Trait 12 March 1938 see below
La Poursuivante AC de France, Dunkirk 10 November 1937 see below
La Cordelière AC Augustin-Normand, Le Havre 11 November 1937 see below
Branlebas AC Augustin-Normand, Le Havre 10 March 1938 Foundered off Eddystone on 14 December 1940
Baliste AC de France, Dunkirk 14 May 1938 see below
Bouclier AC Seine Maritime, Le Trait 6 August 1938 see below

Service histories

References

  1. "La Melpoméne class Torpedo boats - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. 1940-12-14. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  2. "France - Torpedo boats - class LA MELPOMÉNE - Warships 1900-1950". Warshipsww2.eu. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  3. "La Melpomène torpedo boats (1936 - 1938) - French Navy (France)". Navypedia.org. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  4. Other sources give Baliste's loss date as 24.11.43

Sources

Bibliography

External links

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