The F67 type, also known as the Tourville class was a class of large high-sea (blue water) Frigates of the French Navy specialised in anti-submarine warfare. They had anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.
Between 1994 and 1996, Tourville and De Grasse were refitted with the modern SLASM anti-submarine system, and active Very Low Frequency (VLF) sonar.
Design
The ships are an enlarged version of the frigate Aconit. They have two shaft steam turbine machinery and a double hangar for two Lynx WG13 helicopters. They were the first ships fitted with the marine version of the Crotale surface-to-air missile system. A Malafon anti-submarine missile system was fitted when the ships were built but this was removed during refits in the late 1980s.
Optimized for anti-submarine warfare, and carrying towed as well as hull-mounted sonar arrays, the Tourvilles were typically placed in the destroyer category of warship and carry destroyer pennant numbers. Similar in many regards to the unmodified Spruance-class destroyers, they carried a similar combination of sensors, naval guns, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, aircraft and surface-to-air missiles. Additionally, they were well-regarded for their seakeeping, serving much of their careers in the Atlantic rather than with France's Mediterranean fleet.[1]
Ships
The three ships of the class, D612 De Grasse, D611 Duguay-Trouin and D610 Tourville, are named major figures from French naval history. De Grasse and Tourville were French admirals and Duguay-Trouin coming to fame as a privateer.
The three ships of the class were all constructed by Arsenal de Lorient.
| Pennant number | Ship | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D610 | Tourville | 13 May 1972 | 21 June 1974 | 16 June 2011[2] | Laid Up |
| D611 | Duguay-Trouin | 1 June 1973 | 17 September 1975 | 13 July 1999 | Discarded, in use as a breakwater |
| D612 | De Grasse | 30 November 1974 | 1 October 1977 | 5 May 2013[3] | Laid Up |
Notes
- ^ "Global Security.org: Tourville". Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "La frégate Tourville prend sa retraite" [The frigate Tourville retires]. Mer et Marine (in French). 15 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "La frégate De Grasse retirée du service actif". Mer et Marine (in French). 13 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
References
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
