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Arras-class aviso

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The aviso Tahure in 1939.
Class overview
NameArras class
Operators
Preceded byTemplate:Sclass-
Succeeded byTemplate:Sclass2-
SubclassesCraonne-class (coal burning)
Built1917–1922
Planned43
Completed30
Cancelled13
Lost4
General characteristics
Typeaviso
Displacement850 long tons (864 t) standard
Length75 m (246 ft 1 in) o/a
Beam8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
Draught3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 Parsons steam turbines engines, 2 oil or coal-fired du Temple boilers or Normand boilers; 5,000 bhp (3,700 kW)
Speed19–22 knots (22–25 mph; 35–41 km/h)
Range3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement4 officers, 99 sailors
Armament

The Arras-class, sometimes known as the Amiens class, were a series of aviso (also referred to as sloops) built for the French Navy at the end of World War I.

Design and development

British First World War Q-ship HMS Tamarisk

A total of forty three fast "first-rate" avisos for convoy escort duties. These ships were ordered under 1916 and 1917 building programmes for the French Navy and all were named after places on the Western Front lines. Built in nine different military and civilian dockyards across France, The first of which, Arras, entered commission May 1918. The signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 marked the end of the First World War, and the final thirteen planned Arras-class ships were cancelled. The remaining ships were slowly completed from 1919 to 1924.

The ships were modelled after the success of British Q-ships, military ships purposely designed to resemble three-island type merchant cargo ships to deceive enemy U-boats. As such, like merchant ships they were considered roomy for their size and remained dry in head seas.

The Arras-class had a pp of 72 m (236 ft 3 in) and an overall length of 75 m (246 ft 1 in) with a width of 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) and a draught of 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in). At normal displacement the ships were 850 long tons (864 t). The majority of the ships were powered by oil-fired twin-shaft Parsons steam turbines engines and carried 200 long tons (203 t) of fuel oil. The exceptions were Craonne, Liévin, Montmirail, Mondement, Baccarat and Bethune which were coal-fired and carried 185 long tons (188 t) of coal and had two du Temple boilers or Normand boilers. The range of Arras-class was 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). Oil-fired ships were faster, and capable of reaching 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)s while coal-fired ships were slower.

The Arras-class were armed with two single 138 mm (5 in)/55 Modèle 1910 guns in unshielded mounts mounted at the bow and stern. Secondary armament consisted of a single 75 mm (3 in)/62.5 Modèle 1908 gun on a central high-angled mount as anti-aircraft artillery. Initially armed with four single 8 mm (0.31 in)/80 Modèle 1914 machine guns, these were later replaced with four single 13.2 mm/76 Modèle 1929 machine guns. Some ships were briefly armed with two single 145 mm (6 in)/48.5 Modèle 1916 Army-pattern guns.[1]

The French aviso Bapaume was fitted with a 20 m hangar deck and used for flying-off tests

Ships completed before the end of the war participated in the trans-Atlantic convoys. In the Interwar period the avisos Belfort, Épernay, Lunéville, Péronne, Revigny in November 1927 and Reims in 1928, were loaned to the Compagnie générale aéropostale. While in Compagnie générale aéropostale service Épernay caught fire and was destroyed off of Natal in 1930. The surviving ships were returned to French naval service in 1931. Bar-le-Duc foundered and was stricken off of Lesbos while escorting Wrangel's fleet during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1920. Other ships were reassigned to a variety of duties. Les Éparges and Ypres were disarmed and converted to Survey vessels. Vauquois and Remiremont were used as Training ships. Bapaume was temporarily given a flight deck from bow to bridge for takeoff training for French Naval Aviation under a plan devised by naval aviation pioneer Paul Teste between 1920 and 1924. Belfort was converted to a seaplane tender.[2]

At the start of the Second World War in 1939, nineteen Arras-class avisos had been retired and only eleven still remained in active service. Several ships of the class were active in the evacuation of Allied Forces after the collapse of France in June 1940. One of which, Vauquois was sunk by a naval mine in 18 June 1940. After the Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed between Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic, the French navy became split in two. French navy ships in British ports were interned and soon passed to the fledgling Free French Naval Forces. These were Amiens, Arras, Belfort, Coucy, and Epinal. Those ships still in France and her colonial empire swore allegiance to the new collaborationist Vichy French government of Philippe Pétain. Calais participated in the defence of Dakar in September 1940. Tahure, which was stationed in Vichy-controlled French Indochina during the French-Thai war and participated in the Battle of Koh Chang on 17 January 1941. Tahure was sunk by USS Flasher (the United States having declared war on the Vichy French government with Operation Torch) on 29 April 1944.[3] While in Vichy French service, Lassigny was retired in 1941 and Ypres (formerly Dunkerque) was retired April 1942. Les Éparges was scuttled in Toulon on 27 November 1942 but was raised by Germany and converted to a minesweeper. She was renamed M6060 and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine in 5 May 1943. She was in the process of being converted to an escort shipped and renamed SG25 when she caught fire and work on her was abandoned 1 March 1944.[4]

After the war the surviving ships of the class were returned to France and broken up, the last remaining Arras-class ship, Amiens was scrapped 13 October 1949.[5]

Ships

Cancelled ships were Betheny, Chalons, Château-Thierry, Compiègne, Douaumont, Fère-Champenoise, Gerbeviller, Noyon, Roye, Saint-Dié, Senlis, Soissons and Souchez.

Name Builder Laid down Launched Notes Fate
Amiens Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1918 May 1919 Armed with experimental twin-mounted Canon de 37 mm Modèle 1935 in 1940.[6] Seized by the British 3 July 1940 in Portsmouth as part of Operation Catapult. Transferred to the Free French Naval Forces (FNFL). Sold for breaking up 13 October 1949.
Arras Arsenal de Brest, Brest 1917 July 1917 Seized by the British 3 July 1940 in Portsmouth as part of Operation Catapult. Transferred to the FNFL and used as a Barracks ship. Cannibalised for parts for Amiens. Sold for breaking up February 1946.
Baccarat Chantiers et Ateliers de Provence (CAP), Port-de-Bouc 1919 January 1918 Sold for breaking up 1933.
Bapaume Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient 1917 August 1918 Flight deck temporarily added (from bow to bridge) July 1920. Sold for breaking up 1937.
Bar-le-Duc Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient 1917 1918 Stranded near Lesbos while escorting Wrangel's fleet to Bizerte during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Sunk 13 December 1920.
Belfort Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient 1918 March 1919 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1927-1931. Converted to a seaplane tender in 1935. Participated in the evacuation of British forces at Dunkerque 29 May 1940. Seized by British forces at Portsmouth 3 July 1940. Transferred to the FNFL and used as a Barracks ship. Sold for breaking up 22 November 1946.
Béthune Chantiers et Ateliers de Provence (CAP), Port-de-Bouc 1920 July 1921 Sold for breaking up 1934.
Calais Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1918 November 1919 Passed to Vichy France 10 July 1940, participated in the Battle of Dakar. Sold for breaking up 26 November 1946.
Coucy Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire 1918 June 1919 Seized by the British 3 July 1940 in Portsmouth as part of Operation Catapult. Sold for breaking up 26 February 1946.
Craonne Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1917 January 1920 Sold for breaking up 1935.
Dunkerque Arsenal de Brest, Brest 1917 July 1918 Renamed Ypres 1928. Converted to survey vessel and disarmed. Passed to Vichy France 10 July 1940. Sold for breaking up April 1942.
Épernay Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1918 September 1919 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1927-1930. 8 August 1930, destroyed by fire in Natal, Brazil. Sold for breaking up 1934.
Épinal Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire 1918 August 1919 Two 138 mm Modèle 1910 guns replaced by two 145 mm (6 in)/45 Modèle 1910 army guns. Participated in the evacuation of British forces at Dunkerque 29 May 1940. Seized by British forces at Portsmouth 3 July 1940. Transferred to the FNFL. Sold for breaking up December 1946.
Lassigny Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne (ACB), Nantes 1918 July 1919 Passed to Vichy France 10 July 1940. Sold for breaking up in French Morocco 31 October 1941. Hulked in Bizerte, French Tunisia. Scuttled by retreating Royal Italian Army forces July 1943 during the Tunisian Campaign.
Les Éparges Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne (ACB), Nantes 1918 September 1919 Disarmed in the 1920s and converted to a survey vessel. Passed to Vichy France 10 July 1940. Scuttled 27 November 1942 to prevent seizure by Nazi Germany during Operation Anton. Refloated by the Germans in December 1942 and converted to a minesweeper. Renamed M6060 and recommissioned 5 May 1943. Work on conversion to a Schnelles Geleitboot (Fast escort ship) was started and the ship was renamed SG25. Damaged by fire 1 March 1944 and never completed. Scuttled
Liévin Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1917 March 1920 Sold for breaking up 1935.
Lunéville Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1917 January 1920 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1927-1931. Sold for breaking up 1935.
Montdement Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1918 January 1920 Sold for breaking up 1935.
Montmirail Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), La Seyne-sur-Mer 1918 September 1920 Sold for breaking up 1933.
Nancy Arsenal de Cherbourg, Cherbourg 1917 March 1919 Sold for breaking up 1938.
Péronne Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), Le Havre 1917 March 1920 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1927-1931. Sold for breaking up 1935.
Reims Arsenal de Brest, Brest 1917 July 1918 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1928-1931. Sold for breaking up 1938.
Remiremont Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde (FCG), Bordeaux 1917 July 1920 Converted to a training ship in 1925. Sold for breaking up 1936.
Révigny Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde (FCG), Bordeaux 1917 September 1920 Leased to the Compagnie générale aéropostale from 1927-1931. Sold for breaking up 1937.
Tahure Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1918 March 1918 Passed to Vichy France 10 July 1940, participated in the Battle of Koh Chang. Sunk 24 September 1944 by USS Flasher (SS-249).
Toule Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1917 April 1919 Sold for breaking up 1935.
Vauquois Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1918 August 1919 Converted to a training ship in 1925. Participated in the evacuation of British forces at Brest, 18 June 1940. Sunk by Luftwaffe naval mine 18 June 1940 during Operation Aerial.
Verdun Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1917 November 1918 Renamed Laffaux in 1928. Sold for breaking up 1938.
Vimy Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1918 December 1919 Sold for breaking up 1935.
Vitry-le-François Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL), Saint-Nazaire 1918 March 1920 Sold for breaking up 1935.

See also

References

  1. ^ DiGiulian, Tony. "138.6 mm/55 (5.46") Model 1910". NavWeaps. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  2. ^ Moulin, Jean. Le Bearn et le commandant Teste. Marines éd. p. 248. ISBN 2-909675-22-X.
  3. ^ Journoud, Pierre (2012). "Face à la France, une victoire de Thaïs". Guerres & Histoire. 8 (August): 72.
  4. ^ Emmerich, Michael. "SG25". german-navy.de. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  5. ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Conway Maritime Press. p. 214. ISBN 0851772455.
  6. ^ DiGiulian, Tony. "France 37 mm/70 (1.46") Model 1935 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
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