Bourrasque class destroyer

Ships

Bourrasque ("Snowstorm" - 12, 24, 24, 41, T41)

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de France, Dunkirk Completed 23 September 1926 Mined and lost off Nieuwpoort on 30 May 1940 during Operation Dynamo

Cyclone (51, 52, 56, 61, T61)

Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Le Havre Completed 1 June 1928 Damaged by E-boat S-24 30 May 1940, scuttled at Brest 18 June 1940

Mistral ("Mistral" - 52, 53, 62, 63, T63, H03)

Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Le Havre Completed 1 June 1927 Decommissioned 17 February 1950

Orage ("Storm" - 13, 16, 12, 22, 43, T43)

Built by Chantiers Naval Français, Caen Completed 1 December 1926 Lost 23 May 1940

Ouragan ("Hurricane" - 12, 15, 13, 23, 42, T42, H16)

Built by Chantiers Naval Français, Caen Completed 19 January 1927 Decommissioned 1949

Simoun ("Simoom" - 13, 12, 54, 58, 6, 3, T33, T52, T61, T62)

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de St Nazaire-Penhoet, St. Nazaire Completed 29 April 1926 Decommissioned 17 February 1950

Sirocco ("Sirocco" - 53, 57, 52, 63, 62, T62)

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers de St Nazaire-Penhoet, St. Nazaire Completed 1 July 1927 Sunk by the E-boats S-23 and S-26 on 31 May 1940 during Operation Dynamo

Tempête ("Tempest" - 11, 13, 31, 58, 7, 3, T13, T62, T61)

Built by Ateliers et Chantiers Dubigeon, Nantes Completed 28 September 1926 Decommissioned 1950

Tornade ("Tornado" - 31, 33, 73, 76, T73)

Built by Chantiers Dyle & Bacalan, Bordeaux Completed 10 May 1928 Sunk 8 November 1942

Tramontane ("Tramontane" - 34, 31, 83, 75, T71)

Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux Completed 15 October 1927 Lost 8 November 1942

Trombe ("Waterspout" - 32, 82, T82, T64)

Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux Completed 27 October 1927 Decommissioned 17 February 1950

Typhon ("Typhoon" - 33, 72, T72)

Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux Completed 27 June 1928 Scuttled 9 November 1942

Service

Four ships of the class - Bourrasque, Cyclone, Orage and Sirocco - were lost in 1940; Orage on 23 May, sunk by German bombers; Bourasque by German mines and artillery fire on 30 May while evacuating troops from Dunkirk; Sirocco on 31 May, to German torpedo boats while engaged in the same operation; and Cyclone, having been badly damaged on 30 May by torpedo boats was scuttled at Brest on 18 June to prevent her capture.

Mistral and Ouragan were captured by the British in Plymouth harbour on 3 July 1940 during Operation Catapult. Both were eventually transferred to the Free French. Somewhat circuitously, Ouragan was first transferred to the Free Polish Navy. Both survived the war.

Tornade and Tramontaine were lost in the same engagement off Oran on 8 November 1942, against allied units protecting Operation Torch. Typhon was scuttled in Oran harbour to stop her being acquired by the Allies.

Simoun and Tempête, based at Casablanca, joined the Allies in November 1942. They may have joined the battleship Jean Bart in engaging the Allied 'Covering Group', a taskforce based on the battleship Massachusetts.

Trombe was the only ship of the class to be scuttled at Toulon in November 1942 alongside much of the French Navy. She was later raised, commissioned into the Italian Navy as FR31, and then re-transferred to the Free French on 28 October 1943. This destroyer was crippled (constructive total loss) by an fascist Italian MTM explosive motorboat on 17 April 1945 in the Gulf of Genoa.