The Bisson class were enlarged versions of the preceding Bouclier class built to a more standardized design. The ships had a length between perpendiculars of 78.1 meters (256ft 3in), a beam of 8.6 meters (28ft 3in), and a draft of 3.1 meters (10ft 2in).[1] Designed to displace850–880 metric tons (837–866 long tons),[2] they displaced 756–791t (744–779 long tons) at normal load. Their crew numbered 80–83 men.[1]
Protet was powered by a pair of Parsonssteam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by four Indret water-tube boilers. The engines were designed to produce 15,000 shaft horsepower (11,000kW) which was intended to give the ships a speed of 30 knots (56km/h; 35mph). The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 1,450 nautical miles (2,690km; 1,670mi) at cruising speeds of 14 knots (26km/h; 16mph).[1]
Protet was ordered from the Arsenal de Rochefort and was launched on 15 October 1913. The ship was completed the following year.[3] When the First World War began in August 1914, Protet was assigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla (6e escadrille de torpilleurs) of the 1st Naval Army (1ère Armée Navale).[Note 1] During the preliminary stages of the Battle of Antivari, Montenegro, on 16 August, the 1st, 4th and 5th Destroyer Flotillas were tasked to escort the core of the 1st Naval Army while the 2nd, 3rd and 6th Flotillas escorted the armored cruisers of the 2nd Light Squadron (2e escadre légère) and two British cruisers. After reuniting both groups and spotting the Austro-Hungarianprotected cruiserSMSZenta and the destroyer SMSUlan, the French destroyers played no role in sinking the cruiser, although the 4th Flotilla was sent on an unsuccessful pursuit of Ulan. Having broken the Austro-Hungarian blockade of Antivari (now known as Bar), Vice-Admiral (Vice-amiral) Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère, commander of the 1st Naval Army, decided to ferry troops and supplies to the port using a small requisitioned passenger ship, SSLiamone, escorted by the 2nd Light Squadron, reinforced by the armored cruiser Ernest Renan, and escorted by the destroyer Bouclier with the 1st and 6th Destroyer Flotillas under command while the rest of the 1st Naval Army bombarded the Austro-Hungarian naval base at Cattaro, Montenegro, on 1 September. Four days later, the fleet covered the evacuation of Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro, aboard Bouclier, to the Greek island of Corfu. The flotilla escorted multiple small convoys loaded with supplies and equipment to Antivari, beginning in October and lasting for the rest of the year, always covered by the larger ships of the Naval Army in futile attempts to lure the Austro-Hungarian fleet into battle. Amidst these missions, the 1st and 6th Flotillas were led by the French destroyerDehorter as they conducted a sweep south of Cattaro on the night of 10/11 November in an unsuccessful search for Austro-Hungarian destroyers.[5]
The torpedoing of the French battleshipJean Bart on 21 December caused a change in French tactics as the battleships were too important to risk to submarine attack. Henceforth, only the destroyers would escort the transports, covered by cruisers at a distance of 20–50 miles (32–80km) from the transports. The first convoy of 1915 to Antivari arrived on 11 January and more were made until the last one on 20–21 April. After Italy signed the Treaty of London and declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 23 May, the ship was still assigned to the 6th Flotilla when the unit was transferred to the 1st Division of Destroyers and Submarines (1ère division de torpilleurs et de sous-marines) of the 2nd Squadron (escadre) based at Brindisi, Italy.[6]
On 12 July, the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, including Protet, was part of the force that raided the island of Lastovo off the Austrian coast of the Adriatic (now part of Croatia), destroying oil stores and the telegraph station. This attack was simultaneous with the Italian occupation of Palagruža.[7][8]
Notes
↑ Prévoteaux lists Protet as still conducting her sea trials on 1 August. Exactly when those were completed and the ship entered active service is unknown.[4]
Prévoteaux, Gérard (2017). La marine française dans la Grande guerre: les combattants oubliés: Tome I 1914–1915[The French Navy during the Great War: The Forgotten Combatants, Book I 1914–1915]. Collection Navires & Histoire des Marines du Mond. Vol.23. Le Vigen, France: Éditions Lela presse. ISBN978-2-37468-000-2.
Prévoteaux, Gérard (2017). La marine française dans la Grande guerre: les combattants oubliés: Tome II 1916–1918[The French Navy during the Great War: The Forgotten Combatants, Book II 1916–1918]. Collection Navires & Histoire des Marines du Mond. Vol.27. Le Vigen, France: Éditions Lela presse. ISBN978-2-37468-001-9.
Roberts, Stephen S. (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-5267-4533-0.
Mameluk was one of seven Spahi-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Mortier was one of 13 Claymore-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Trident was one of 13 Claymore-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Enseigne Henry was one of seven Spahi-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Lansquenet was one of seven Spahi-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Carabiner was one of seven Spahi-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Hussard was one of seven Spahi-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Cavalier was one of four Chasseur-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Boutefeu was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Casque was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was sold for scrap in 1927.
Cimeterre was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Dague was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Completed in 1912, the ship was initially assigned to the 1st Naval Army in the Mediterranean Sea. During the First World War, she escorted the battle fleet during the Battle of Antivari off the coast of Montenegro in August 1914 and escorted multiple convoys to Montenegro over the next six months. Dague struck a mine in Antivari harbor in February 1915 and sank with the loss of 38 crewmen.
Faulx was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. During the First World War, she escorted the battle fleet during the Battle of Antivari off the coast of Montenegro in August 1914 and escorted multiple convoys to Montenegro for the rest of the year. Faulx protected the evacuation of the Royal Serbian Army from Durazzo, Albania, in February 1916.
Fourche was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. During the First World War, she escorted the battle fleet during the Battle of Antivari off the coast of Montenegro in August 1914 and escorted multiple convoys to Montenegro for the rest of the year. Fourche protected the evacuation of the Royal Serbian Army from Durazzo, Albania, in February 1916. The ship was sunk by an Austro-Hungarian submarine in June with the loss of 19 crewmen.
Bouclier was the name ship of her class of a dozen destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Commandant Bory was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Commandant Rivière was one of a dozen Bouclier-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Mangini was one of six Bisson-class destroyers built for the French Navy during the 1910s. The ship was condemned in 1934.
Renaudin was one of six Bisson-class destroyers built for the French Navy during the early 1910s. Completed in 1913, the ship was assigned to the 1st Naval Army in the Mediterranean Sea. During the First World War, she escorted the battle fleet during the Battle of Antivari in August 1914 and escorted multiple convoys to Montenegro for the rest of the year. Renaudin helped to sink a crippled Austro-Hungarian destroyer during the 1st Battle of Durazzo in late 1915 and protected the evacuation of the Royal Serbian Army from Durazzo, Albania, in February 1916. The ship was sunk by an Austro-Hungarian submarine the following month with the loss of 50 crewmen.
Bisson was the name ship of her class of destroyers built for the French Navy during the 1910s, entering service in 1913. She served in the Mediterranean Sea during the First World War, sinking the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-3 on 6 July 1915 and took part in the Battle of Durazzo in December 1915 and the Battle of the Strait of Otranto in May 1917. She was stricken in 1933 and scrapped in 1939.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
France
