Name Durandal class Preceded by None Built 1899–1900 | Operators French Navy Succeeded by Framée class In commission 1899–1921 | |
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The Durandal class was a group of four destroyers built for the French Navy between 1896 and 1900, used during the First World War. These vessels were France's first true destroyers rather than torpedo boats. Two units were launched in 1899 while another two followed in 1900.
These vessels, which were an enlarged derivative of the previous Filibustier-class torpedo boats, resembled the Havock class of Great Britain. Its hull had a turtleback bow to reduce water resistance, with two masts and two funnels. The ships were powered by two triple expansion engines fed by water tube boilers, giving a speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), and were armed by two torpedo tubes (with two reload torpedoes carried onboard), a 65 mm and six 47 mm guns.
The four destroyers were laid down between 1896 and 1897 and completed between 1899 and 1900. Espingole struck a rock in the Bay of Cavalaire-sur-Mer off the South of France on 4 February 1903, which caused the ship to sink. The three remaining destroyers served through the First World War, operating in both the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. They were sold for scrap in 1920–21.
Ships
All four vessels were built by Normand at Le Havre. The first pair (Durandal and Hallebarde) were ordered on 25 August 1896. They had a turtledeck forecastle and a flying deck aft, with two masts and two funnels widely separated by their machinery. The second pair (Fauconneau and Espignole) differed by having a strengthened hull and a slightly raised bow.