French destroyer Gerfaut

Half-sister Milan at anchor
History
France
Name	Gerfaut
Namesake	Gerfalcon
Builder	Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes
Launched	14 June 1930
Completed	30 January 1932
Fate	Scuttled, 27 November 1942
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Aigle-class destroyer
Displacement	2,441 long tons (2,480  t) (standard)
Length	128.5 m (421 ft 7 in)
Beam	11.8 m (38 ft 9 in)
Draught	4.97 m (16 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4 du Temple boilers 64,000  PS (47,000  kW; 63,000  shp)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	3,650  nmi (6,760 km; 4,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Crew	10 officers, 217 crewmen (wartime)
Armament	5 × single 138.6 mm (5.5 in) guns 1 × single 75 mm (3 in) AA gun 4 × single 37 mm (1.5 in) AA guns 2 × triple 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes 2 chutes, 4 throwers for 36 depth charges

Gerfaut was one of six Aigle-class destroyers (contre-torpilleurs) built for the French Navy during the 1930s.

Design and description

The Aigle-class ships were designed as improved versions of the preceding Guépard-class destroyers. They had an overall length of 128.5 meters (421 ft 7 in), a beam of 11.8 meters (38 ft 9 in), ^[1] and a draft of 4.97 meters (16 ft 4 in). The ships displaced 2,441 long tons (2,480  t ) at standard ^[2] and 3,140 metric tons (3,090 long tons) at deep load. The ships were powered by two geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by four du Temple boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 64,000 metric horsepower (47,000  kW ; 63,000  shp ), which would propel the ships at 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). During her sea trials on 30 April 1931, Gerfaut's Rateau-Bretagne turbines reached 41.46 knots (76.78 km/h; 47.71 mph) for a single hour. The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 3,650 nautical miles (6,760 km; 4,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Their crew consisted of 10 officers and 198 crewmen in peacetime and 10 officers and 217 enlisted men in wartime. ^[3]

The main armament of the Aigle-class ships consisted of five 138.6-millimeter (5.5 in) Modèle 1927 guns in single shielded mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure and the fifth gun abaft the aft funnel. Albatros's anti-aircraft armament consisted of a 75-millimeter (3 in) M1897-15 gun forward of the rear pair of funnels and four semi-automatic 37-millimeter (1.5 in) Modèle 1927 guns in single mounts positioned amidships. All the ships carried two rotating triple mounts for 550-millimeter (21.7 in) torpedo tubes, one mount between the two pairs of funnels as well as another aft of the rear funnel. A pair of depth charge chutes were built into their stern; these housed a total of sixteen 200-kilogram (440 lb) depth charges, with eight more in reserve. They were also fitted with four depth-charge throwers, two on each broadside abreast the forward pair of funnels, for which the ships carried a dozen 100-kilogram (220 lb) depth charges. ^[4]

Construction and career

After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940 during World War II, Gerfaut served with the navy of Vichy France. She was among the ships of the French fleet scuttled at Toulon, France, on 27 November 1942.

Notes

1. Jordan & Moulin 2015, p. 94
2. Roberts, p. 268
3. Jordan & Moulin 2015, pp. 94, 97
4. Jordan & Moulin 2015, pp. 94, 97–101

References

• 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.
• Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84832-198-4.
• Roberts, John (1980). "France". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 255–279. ISBN   0-8317-0303-2.
• 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.