Advice bougainvillea. "bad weather division"
The series of colonial advice notes consisted of 8 units ("Bougainville", "Dumont d'Urville", "Savorgnan de Brazza", "D'Entrecasteaux", "Rigault de Genouilly", "Amiral Charner", "D'lberville", "Villed" -Ys" (La Grandiere), built at the shipyards "A C Maritime du Sud Ouest", "F C de la Gironde", "A C de Provence" and commissioned in 1931-1940. The cabin and installations of the main caliber had anti-fragmentation armor. Advice "Bougainville" and "Rigault de Genouilly" were lost in 1940, "D'lberville" was sunk in 1942, "Dumont d'Urville" and "Amiral Charner" - in 1945. The remaining ships were decommissioned in 1948-1959. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 2 thousand tons, full displacement - 2.6 thousand tons; length - 98 m; width - 12.7 m; draft - 4.5 m; speed - 15.5 knots; power plants– 2 diesel engines; power – 3.2 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 297 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 9 thousand miles; crew - 183 people. Armament: 3x1 - 138 mm guns; 4x1 - 37 mm or 4x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6x1 – 13.2 mm machine guns; 50 min, seaplane.
The fishery protection ship was built at the Arsenal de Brest shipyard and commissioned in 1918. In 1930, the ship was re-equipped. In 1941, the ship was removed from the Navy lists. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 492 tons; length – 70 m; width – 8.3 m; draft – 3 m; speed – 20 knots; power plants – 2 steam turbine units and 2 steam boilers; power – 4 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 143 tons of oil; cruising range - 4 thousand miles; crew - 107 people. Armament: 4x1 - 100 mm guns; 1x1 - 75 mm gun; 2 machine guns.
Advice “Ville d’Ys” (Andromeda)
The sloop Andromeda was built at the British shipyard Swan Hunter in 1916-1917. and bought by France. In 1940, it was expelled from the Navy, and in 1945 it was scrapped. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, full displacement - 1.3 thousand tons; length – 75.4 m; width – 12 m; draft – 5 m; speed – 17.5 knots; power plants – steam engine and 2 steam boilers; power – 2.8 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 270 tons of coal; cruising range - 2.4 thousand miles; crew - 92 people. Armament: 1x1 - 100 mm gun; 3x1 – 75 mm anti-aircraft guns; 2x1 – 47-mm anti-aircraft guns; 2 bomb launchers; release gear.
Advice "Marne", "Somme" and "Yser" were built at the shipyards "Arsenal de Lorient", "Arsenal de Brest", "Arsenal de Rochefort" and commissioned in 1917. In 1920, the ships were re-equipped. Advice “Somme” was scrapped in 1941, “Marne” was sunk in 1945. “Yser” was scuttled by its crew in 1942, raised and restored by German troops, and operated under the designation “SG-37”. Sent for scrapping in 1946. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 570 - 600 tons; length – 78 m; width – 9 m; draft – 3.4 m; speed - 20 - 21 knots; power plants – 2 steam turbine units and 2 steam boilers; power - 4 - 5 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 135 tons of oil; cruising range - 4 thousand miles; crew - 113 people. Armament: 4x1 - 100 mm guns or 1x1 - 75 mm gun and 2x1 - 65 mm guns; 2x1 – 47-mm anti-aircraft guns; release gear.
The ship was laid down at the Arsenal de Rochefort shipyard in 1913 as a fisheries protection vessel. During construction it was repurposed as a notice and in 1918 it was put into operation. In 1940, the ship was captured by British troops, who used it for training purposes. In 1945 it was returned to France, in 1947 it was written off. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 585 tons; length – 47 m; width – 8.4 m; draft – 5.8 m; speed - 14.5 knots; power plants – steam engine and 2 steam boilers; power – 1.2 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 105 tons of coal; cruising range - 1.2 thousand miles; crew - 53 people. Armament: 1x1 - 75 mm gun; 1x1 – 47 mm gun.
Advice “Ancre” and “Suippe” were built at the shipyards “Arsenal de Lorient”, “Arsenal de Brest” and commissioned in 1918. In the 1930s. the ships were re-equipped. Both ships were excluded from the Navy in 1940. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 604 tons; length – 76.2 m; width – 8.7 m; draft – 3.3 m; speed – 20 knots; power plants – 2 steam turbine units and 2 steam boilers; power – 5 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 143 tons of oil; cruising range - 4 thousand miles; crew - 107 people. Armament: 4x1 - 100 mm guns; 1x1 - 75 mm gun; 2 machine guns; 2 bomb releasers.
The series of advice notes of the “Amiens” type at the beginning of the war consisted of 11 units (“Arras”, “Belfort”, “Lassigny”, “Les Eparges”, “Tahure”, “Coucy”, “Epinal”, “Vauquois”, “Amiens” , "Calais", "Ypres"), built at the shipyards "F C de la Méditerranée", "Arsenal de Brest", "Arsenal de Lorient", "Penhoët", "A C de Bretagne", "A C de la Loire" and commissioned commissioned in 1918-1919. Advice "Vauquois" was lost in 1940, "Tahure" - in 1944, "Les Eparges" - scuttled by the crew in 1942, "Ypres" - scrapped in 1942. The remaining ships were decommissioned in 1946-1949. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 644 tons; length – 72 m; width – 8.4 m; draft – 3.1 m; speed - 19 knots; power plants – 2 steam turbine units and 2 steam boilers; power – 5 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 200 tons of oil; cruising range - 3 thousand miles; crew - 103 people. Armament: 2x1 - 138 mm or 2x1 - 145 mm guns; 1x1 - 75 mm gun; 4 machine guns; 2 bomb releasers.
The "Ardent" type advice series consisted of 4 units ("Audacieux", "Dedaigneuse", "Etourdi", "Tapageuse"), built at the shipyards "A C de Provence", "FC de la Gironde", "Arsenal de Lorient" and commissioned in 1917. The ships "Etourdi" and "Dedaigneuse" were sunk in 1940 and 1942, "Audacieux" and "Tapageuse" were scrapped in 1940 and 1944. There is a known version of the ship with a 630-horsepower diesel engine under the designation “Luronne”, scrapped in 1941. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 266 - 310 tons, total displacement - 400 - 410 tons; length – 60 m; width – 7.2 m; draft - 2.9 m; speed – 14 – 17 knots; power plants – 1 – 2 steam engines and 2 steam boilers; power – 1.5 – 2.2 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 85 tons of coal; cruising range - 2 thousand miles; crew - 55 - 60 people. Armament: 2x1 - 100 mm or 2x1 - 138 mm guns; 1x1 – 47 mm gun; 2 bomb releasers.
The “Friponne” type advice series was a diesel modification of the “Ardent” type advice and by the beginning of the war consisted of 3 units: “Diligente”, “Engageante” and “Conquérante”. The ships were built at the Arsenal de Brest shipyard and commissioned in 1917-1918. "Conquérante" and "Diligente" were captured by British troops in 1940. The first died in 1941, the second was returned to France in 1945. "Engageante" was decommissioned in 1944. Performance characteristics of the ship (/"Conquérante"): standard displacement - 315/457 t.; length – 66 m; width – 7.2/7.9 m; draft – 2.8 m; speed – 14.5/17 knots; power plants – 2 diesel engines; power – 0.9/1.8 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 30 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 3 thousand miles; crew - 54 people. Armament: 2x1 - 100 mm guns; 2 bomb releasers.
Advice “Enseigne Henry” (Dumont d’Urville)
The “Dubourdieu” and “Enseigne Henry” advice notes were further modifications of the “Amiens” type advice notes; they were built at the Arsenal de Lorient shipyard and commissioned in 1918 and 1919. "Enseigne Henry" was sunk by its crew in 1940, and "Dubourdieu" was lost in 1942. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 433 tons; length – 65 m; width – 8.2 m; draft – 3.1 m; speed - 16.7 knots; power plants – 2 steam turbine units and 2 steam boilers; power – 2 thousand hp; fuel reserve - 140 tons of oil; cruising range - 2 thousand miles; crew - 74 people. Armament: 1x1 - 139 mm and 1x1 - 100 mm guns; 2 bomb releasers.
The series of patrol ships based on merchant ships consisted of 7 units: “Marigot”, “Cyrnos”, “Sidi Obka”, “Ville d’Ajaccio”, “Cap Corse”, “Pascal Paoli” and “Samiero Corso”. The ships were built at the shipyards A C de St-Nazaire-Penhoët, Deschimag, A C de Bretagne, A C de Provence and A C de France in 1929-1936. and mobilized in 1939. In 1943, Cyrnos and Pascal Paoli were captured by German forces and served under the designations SG-13 and SG-5. Died in 1944 and 1943. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 2.4 - 4 thousand tons; length – 85 – 100 m; width – 12 – 16 m; draft - 5 - 6 m; speed – 15 – 18 knots; power plants - 1 - 2 steam engines and 2 steam boilers or 2 diesel engines; power – 1.9 – 5 thousand hp. Armament: 4-5x1 - 100 mm guns; 2-6 machine guns.
The series of patrol ships based on coastal ships consisted of 8 units: “Barsac”, “Cerons”, “Leoville”, “Sauternes” (built in 1922-1923), “Listras”, “Pessac” (1907), "Medoc" and "Pomerol" (1930). The ships were built at the shipyards "A C de la Seine-Maritime" and "Henderson" and mobilized in 1939. "Barsac", "Cerons" and "Medoc" were lost in 1940. "Sauternes" - in 1941. The remaining ships in 1940 were captured by British troops. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 0.8 - 1.2 thousand tons; length – 60 – 72 m; width – 8 – 10 m; draft – 4 – 5 m; speed – 12 knots; power plants – steam engine; power - 600 - 900 hp Armament: 4x1 - 100 mm guns; 2x1 – 37-mm anti-aircraft guns; release gear; 45 depth charges.
The series of patrol ships based on trawlers consisted of 44 units. The ships were built in 1906 – 1937. and mobilized in 1939. During the war, 13 ships were captured by German and British troops. 14 ships were lost. Performance characteristics of the ship: standard displacement - 0.3 - 1.1 thousand tons; length – 43 – 66 m; width – 7 – 9 m; draft – 4 – 5 m; speed – 10 – 15 knots; power plants - steam engine or diesel engine; power – 0.5 – 1.3 thousand hp. Armament: 2-3x1 - 100 mm guns; 2x1 – 37 mm or 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 1-2 bomb releasers; 24 - 40 depth charges.
Armament
Built ships
General information
Advice type Bougainville were intended for service in the military fleets of the colonial tropical possessions. Their design assumed increased protection from high temperatures and humidity. The power plant was built on diesel engines, providing high efficiency and a long cruising range. Construction was carried out within the framework of the programs of 1927, 1929, 1931 and 1937, of the 10 planned ships, 8 were commissioned as combat units, in connection with the outbreak of the Second World War, construction La Pérouse was canceled and Beautemps-Beaupre flooded at the docks.
Bougainville, which served under the Vichy flag, was sunk on November 9, 1940 in Libreville by an Allied ship of the same type Savorgnan de Brazza. Amiral Charner participated in the Franco-Thai War on the side of the Vichy government and was scuttled on March 10, 1945. Dumont D'Urville was scrapped on March 26, 1958. D'Entrecasteaux was heavily damaged during the battle on May 6, 1942 with the British battleship HMS Ramillies and on October 19, 1948 scrapped. Ville D'Ys was renamed during construction to La Grandiere, scrapped May 20, 1959. D'Iberville scuttled with other ships of the French fleet at Toulon on November 27, 1942. Rigault de Genouilly Sunk by the British submarine HMS Pandora on 4 July 1940 off the coast of Algeria. Savorgnan de Brazza In 1940 he left France and took part in hostilities on the side of the Allies; on March 20, 1957 he was scrapped. Beautemps-Beaupre dismantled on the slipway June 24, 1940, built La Pérouse cancelled.
History of creation
Predecessors
Advice 1st class Yser (1917)
The French fleet, as part of the colonial forces, had a special class of ships - avisos, the characteristics of which differed from the generally accepted ones and corresponded to the classification of sloops. Unlike other fleets, in which the avisos were used for patrol and messenger service, the French avisos could perform a wider range of tasks and were a development of sailing corvettes. The class originated in the 19th century as light sailing-steam ships, and during the First World War several operated in the French fleet. various types advice note They had a displacement from 600 to 1,000 tons and carried two or three guns of 120-150 mm caliber as weapons. Distinctive feature French advice had a shallow draft, which allowed them to operate in shallow waters characteristic of tropical coasts. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a series of advice notes were built Aldebaran and lighter types Ardent, Friponne And Marne. However, all of them had insufficient displacement to fully replace cruisers, and therefore a decision was made to build heavier ships of the colonial aviso type.
Prerequisites for creation
Advice La Dragonne
Based on the requirements of the French fleet, the newly built ships had to maintain a speed of at least 10 knots during a 25-day voyage, have a cruising range of at least 10,000 miles, have dimensions allowing for repairs in colonial ports, provide acceptable habitability conditions and have admiral's apartments and carry sufficient weapons. As an additional option, the possibility of equipping the ships with an ejection seaplane was considered.
Design
Advice type layout Bougainville
The decision to build it was made in 1922; the order classified the ships as colonial notices, although in fact the requirements for the ships corresponded to light cruisers. During the Geneva Conference of 1927, international restrictions were adopted for light ships, which had to have a displacement of no more than 2,000 tons, carry weapons with a caliber of less than 127 mm, not carry torpedo tubes and reach a speed of no more than 19 knots. The caliber restrictions were later increased to 155 mm at the insistence of the Italian and French delegations and approved by the London Conference of 1930. During the design it was necessary to fulfill a number of conflicting requirements. To achieve the required range it was necessary to use an economical power plant, so it was decided to use diesel engines rather than the more traditional steam engines or turbines. It was decided to install semi-automatic 139 mm Mle 1927 cannons as artillery weapons, as well as provide reliable protection against aviation. Much attention was paid to providing conditions for accommodating the crew in tropical climates, as well as protecting the hull from fouling.
As a result, the project acquired features typical of light cruisers, rather than traditional avisos and corvettes. At the same time, it was decided to limit the speed to 16 knots, which helped to comply with the requirements of international restrictions and the ships were not formally classified as cruisers.
Due to changes in the political situation Beautemps-Beaupre And La Pérouse it was planned to build according to a modernized design, with 100-mm main caliber guns, and therefore these two ships are sometimes distinguished as a separate type.
Construction and testing
Launching D'Entrecasteaux
The construction of the ships was distributed over several financial years, which eased the burden on the budget and allowed for full testing. Before construction, the ships were assigned construction identification numbers, from A1 before A10. The 1927 fleet financing program provided for the construction of two ships, two more each under the 1929 and 1930 programs, and the seventh ship was to be built under the 1931 program. Due to the problems that arose during the construction of battleships of the type Dunkerque and cruisers type La Galissonnière the construction of the colonial memos was postponed and funding for the laying of two ships was provided for under the fiscal year 1937 program, and the last ship of the series in the fiscal year 1938.
The contract cost of construction was 36.5 million francs. All ships were named in honor of French navigators: Louis Antoine de Bougainville (fr. Louis Antoine comte de Bougainville ), Jules Dumont-D'Urville (fr. Jules Dumont d'Urville), Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (fr. Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza), Joseph Antoine de Bruny D'Entrecasteaux (fr. Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux), Charles Rigaud de Genouilly (fr. Charles Rigault de Genouilly), Leonard Victor Joseph Charnay (fr. Leonard Charner), Pierre Lemoine d'Iberville (fr. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville), Pierre-Paul de La Grandiere (fr. Pierre-Paul de La Grandiere), Charles-François Boteau-Beaupre (fr. Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupre ) and Jean-François de La Perouse (fr. Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse )
| Fiscal year | Construction number | Ship | Shipyard | Pawned | Launched | In service | Tactical number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | A1 | Bougainville | FC de la Gironde, Bordeaux | November 25, 1929 | April 21, 1931 | February 13, 1933 | |
| A2 | Dumont d'Urville | AC Maritime de Sud-Ouest, Bordeaux | November 19, 1929 | March 21, 1931 | June 4, 1932 | A02, from 1950 - F732 | |
| 1929 | A3 | Savorgnan de Brazza | AC Maritime de Sud-Ouest, Bordeaux | December 6, 1929 | June 18, 1931 | February 21, 1933 | A03, from 1950- F733 |
| A4 | D'Entrecasteaux | AC de Provence, Port-de-Bouc | January 29, 1930 | June 21, 1931 | May 6, 1933 | ||
| 1930 | A5 | Rigault de Genouilly | FC de la Gironde, Bordeaux | July 7, 1931 | September 18, 1932 | March 14, 1934 | |
| A6 | Amiral Charner | AC Maritime de Sud-Ouest, Bordeaux | May 27, 1931 | October 1, 1932 | April 20, 1934 | ||
| 1931 | A7 | D'Iberville | AC de Provence, Port-de-Bouc | June 13, 1932 | September 23, 1934 | September 22, 1934 | |
| 1937 | A8 | La Grandiere | AC de Provence, Port-de-Bouc | February 23, 1938 | June 22, 1939 | June 20, 1940 | A01, A61, from 1950 - F731 |
| A9 | Beautemps-Beaupre | FC de la Gironde, Bordeaux | May 3, 1938 | June 20, 1939 | scuttled 24 June 1940 | ||
| 1938 | A10 | La Pérouse | FC de la Gironde, Bordeaux | Canceled by construction June 24, 1940 | |||
During testing in July 1932 Bougainville reached a speed of 17.5 knots under two cars and 12.5 under one. In September of the same year it was possible to show more high speeds: 17.3 and 14.7, respectively, which was due to cooler weather, which increased the power of the power plant. Maximum speed was achieved at 170-200 shaft revolutions per minute, but in the range of 120-140 revolutions vibration was noted, which could not be eliminated during the years of service. Preparing the vehicles for launch took 40 minutes on cold diesel engines and 20 minutes on hot ones.
During testing Dumont d'Urville reached a speed of 17.2 knots, Amiral Charner 18.9 knots.
Description of design
Frame
Advice type plan Bougainville
The hull of French ships was usually made of steel grade 50kg. Power set of housing memo type Bougainville was made of steel 60kg, which had higher tensile strength. The dimensions of the hull were chosen to allow for repairs to be carried out in the dry docks of the colonial possessions. The transverse set consisted of frames installed at intervals of 1.8 m. To protect the hull from corrosion, Siamese teak boards 40 - 50 mm thick were fixed on the outside of the steel lining of the sides. The linoleum covering of the decks and floors in the interior, secured with brass staples, served the same purpose.
To ensure protection of the deck from waves and ensure high seaworthiness, the hull of the ships had a high and extended forecastle, which housed a superstructure with deckhouses, as well as two bow guns. Behind the wheelhouse there were quarterdecks and chimneys; the deck along the quarterdeck was covered with a canopy, similar to the promenade deck of a liner. The aft conning tower and the aft gun were located offset to the midships, since mine release mechanisms were located in the aft part.
In the general engine room, in addition to the main machines, three main diesel generators were installed, which provided power to the ship's electrical equipment. As engines for diesel generators on ships with diesel engines Burmeister & Wain engines used MAN 6 GVU 33 Ricardo and generators Schneider power 85 kW (120 V 700 A). With main diesels Sulzer diesel generators were installed Sulzer 5 RKH power 120 kW (118 V 1017 A). Two diesel generators were provided for emergency power supply Bettus-Loire with a power of 22 kW each, installed behind the bow wheelhouse on the upper deck. In addition to the main machines and diesel generators, the ships were equipped with two vertical boilers Riley, producing steam with a pressure of up to 10 kg/cm 2, which was supplied to various pneumatic machines and used to drive air conditioning units.
To pump water out of the holds, 5 pumps with a capacity of 100 tons per hour were installed on ships. These same pumps could be used as fire pumps.
Crew and habitability
Crew Savorgnan de Brazza under the flag of Free France
The crew of the ships, according to the peace schedule, consisted of 14 officers and 121 lower ranks. The ship's commander had to have the rank of frigate captain (fr. Capitaine de frégate), captain's mate - corvette captain (fr. Capitaine de corvette). Since the service was planned in a tropical climate, increased attention was paid to the placement of the crew. The ships were equipped with two air conditioning units for the quarters of enlisted personnel and officers, and the living quarters were equipped with additional internal insulating lining.
La Grandiere was armed with three 100 mm/45 Mle 1933 guns, the same guns were planned to be installed on Beautemps-Beaupre And La Pérouse.
Auxiliary/anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft crew
As a mine action and anti-aircraft weapons According to the project, four guns were installed on pin machines with anti-fragmentation shields on the main deck 37 mm/50 Mle 1925. They had a rate of fire of 30 rounds per minute with projectiles weighing 0.725 kg at pointing angles from −15° to +80°, and the firing range was 5,000 m.
In addition to artillery, the ships also had 6 machine guns. Hotchkiss Mle 1929 caliber 13.2 mm. The machine guns were installed in pairs, in three installations, two of which were located on the forecastle and one in the aft part of the superstructure. The machine guns were air-cooled and had a rate of fire of up to 700 rounds per minute. The horizontal firing range reached 6,500 m, the sighting range reached 2,500 m, and the altitude for hitting air targets was up to 1,500 m.
First World War, two revolutions, civil war and devastation... The trials that befell Russia in the first quarter of the 20th century, it seemed, should have forever eliminated it from the ranks of the great maritime powers. By the mid-20s, even the most combat-ready Naval forces Baltic Sea There were only eight “novikov” destroyers in service. Moreover, the most acute shortage of ships for everyday service was felt - minesweepers, minelayers, patrol ships. Combat experience has shown that in coastal waters and limited naval theaters the role of these inconspicuous warships can hardly be overestimated.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the reconstruction of the fleet in our country began precisely with the project of a patrol ship (SKR). In heavy economic conditions The RKKF needed a relatively small and cheap ship, the operation of which required lower costs than already worn-out destroyers.
True, the original idea was not even a patrol boat, but patrol boat. In 1922, the Naval Headquarters of the RSFSR defined its requirements: armament with a 102-mm gun and depth charges, a speed of 30 knots. The absurdity of installing a long-barreled four-inch gun from the Obukhov plant (and there were simply no other modern guns at that time) on a small boat became obvious even before drawing up the drawings, and three years later the composition of the artillery in the terms of reference changed. Now the armament consisted of light anti-aircraft guns and machine guns, as well as two torpedo tubes, mines and depth charges. Speed increased to 35 knots. This strange, although rather interesting hybrid of a destroyer and a submarine hunter also did not leave the sketch stage. In order to bring the development to the slipway, serious engineering work was required.
It was taken up by the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Maritime Department, established in 1923, a direct successor to the pre-revolutionary MTK. The lack of personnel (there were only 30 people on the committee) and the lack of a clear understanding by the leadership of the RKKF of what exactly needed to be built resulted in an amazing range of very diverse options. By 1926, the most reasonable and balanced of them remained - a patrol ship with a displacement of 650 tons with a speed of 30 knots, a steam turbine installation and an armament of two or three 102-mm guns, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns and a three-pipe 450-mm torpedo tube. At the stage of detailed study, the main problems were the choice of a suitable gun (the type of artillery mount was changed four times during the design and construction) and insufficient power of the power plant (as tests of models in the pool showed, engines of 6800 hp could provide a stroke of no more than 26 ,5 knots).
According to the plan, by 1929 it was planned to build six units in Leningrad and two more in Nikolaev, at the A. Marti plant. The progress of the work was complicated by traditional domestic industry problems: lack of qualified personnel and continuous “improvements” of the project. Cellars and storerooms, paravanes and racks with depth charges, spars changed places... However, the biggest nuisance was the errors in calculating the strength. It was necessary to urgently reinforce the hull structure, which contributed to the construction overload. As a result, in 1929, only three patrol boats were launched. This was followed by the first purges of the 30s, which also did not contribute to the speed of construction. Only on September 12, 1931, the first Soviet TFR “Uragan” became part of the Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea. It was followed by “Whirlwind”, “Typhoon”, “Cyclone”, “Shkval”. The sailors immediately dubbed the new series the “bad weather division.”
The service of the firstborn of Soviet shipbuilding in the 30s was very intense. Even before the start of the Great Patriotic War The patrol boats underwent a number of modernizations: 102-mm guns gave way to new 100-mm guns in B-24-BM mounts, protected by light shields and having a longer firing range. Later, the composition of anti-aircraft weapons also changed: instead of ineffective 45-mm semi-automatic machines and rifle-caliber machine guns, modern 37-mm machine guns and coaxial heavy machine guns were mounted. We have not forgotten the means of combating the main enemy - submarines. Additional bomb launchers appeared at the stern, the stock of depth charges was increased to 34, and a Poseidon noise direction-finding station was installed in the bow of the hull. Communication and navigation tools have been completely updated.
Unfortunately, all these timely and logical measures led to noticeable overload, aggravated by the fact that the hull, extremely lightweight during construction, had to be additionally reinforced. The displacement increased to almost 600 tons, and the speed dropped to 23 knots. At the same time, the ships became very unstable - so much so that they could only accept mines on the upper deck if there was a full supply of fuel or water replacing it in the tanks.
The ships of the “bad weather division” became active participants in the war. In August 1941, “Cyclone”, together with other ships of the Baltic Fleet, tried to break through from Tallinn to Kronstadt, but hit a mine and sank. The Whirlwind sank near the wall at Kronstadt after a German air attack the following month, but was raised and put into service after the siege of Leningrad was lifted. A similar fate befell Smerch in Murmansk. A direct hit from an aerial bomb in December 1942 caused severe damage to it, but the rescuers accomplished a real feat: harsh conditions in the winter Arctic in just two weeks they raised a patrol boat. In 1944, all ships of the series, except for the lost Cyclone, were in service. At the same time, the Typhoon was converted into a squadron minesweeper. Instead of a torpedo tube that had become unnecessary, it was equipped with equipment for sweeping newfangled magnetic and acoustic mines.
The project of the first relatively large Soviet warship received quite controversial assessments at the time. On the one hand, it was pointed out that its tactical and technical characteristics barely correspond to the data of the pre-war Ukraina-class destroyers, built almost a quarter of a century earlier. (Such a statement can hardly be accepted, since the equipment and light weapons of the Hurricane were completely different from this pseudo-prototype.) On the other hand, the patrol boats performed well in service, and in some aspects they even heralded a new type of warship - escort destroyers , which soon became widespread in the fleets of the main naval powers.
9. Patrol ship "Hurricane", USSR, 1931
Built on Northern shipyard in Leningrad. Normal displacement 470 tons, full displacement 535 tons. Maximum length 71.5 m, beam 7.24 m, draft 2.1 m. Power of twin-shaft steam turbine unit 6850 hp, speed 26 knots. Armament: two 102 mm and four 45 mm guns, two machine guns, one three-tube 450 mm torpedo tube, up to 48 small or 16 large mines, up to 40 depth charges. Total in 1931 - 1938 18 units built.
10.Colonial sloop Bougainville, France, 1932
Built by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde. Displacement standard 1970 tons, normal 2160 tons, full 2600 tons. Maximum length 100.7 m, beam 12.7 m, draft 4.5 m. Power of the twin-shaft diesel unit 3200 hp, speed 18 knots. Armament: three 138 mm guns, four 37 mm machine guns and six machine guns, 50 mines, one seaplane. Total in 1931 - 1940 8 units built.
11. Advice minesweeper “Elan”, France, 1940
Built at the Navy shipyard in Lorient. Displacement standard 630 t, normal 750 t, full 900 t. Maximum length 78.31 m, beam 8.7 m, draft 3.28 m. Power of twin-shaft diesel unit 4000 hp, speed 20 knots. Armament: two 100 mm anti-aircraft guns, eight 13.2 mm machine guns, depth charges. Total in 1938 - 1940 22 units were laid down, 13 were completed for the French fleet.
But this path of development of escort and security ships was by no means the only one. The colonial powers developed a completely different concept of universal combat ships for a similar purpose. For example, France, the owner of the second empire in the world, stretching along the shores of three oceans, experienced an acute shortage of ships for “representation” in its possessions. Their role was played by old advice notes from the First World War, but they gradually became decrepit, and their weapons did not meet the dictates of the time.
Therefore, in the mid-20s, the design of a new type of combat unit began, capable of fulfilling the role of a powerful gunboat, a flagship in the colonies, and a stationary vessel that could make long journeys. Since most French possessions were located in the tropics, one of the requirements was put forward good conditions habitats in a hot climate, which had to be provided by powerful ventilation and devices for cooling the premises - air conditioners, so familiar now and so exotic in those days.
The new advice notes, or “colonial sloops,” as they were classified in English-speaking countries, turned out to be not only very successful, but also beautiful ships. After attempts to counterfeit merchant ships from the First World War, they more likely resembled small cruisers in appearance. The armament was practically cruising: the 138-mm guns had a projectile weighing 40 kg and good ballistic characteristics, although (which is natural for a 2000-ton ship) their number was only a third of the usual cruiser artillery of those times. In essence, the armor also differed little from the protection of the first “treaty” cruisers, which were practically deprived of it. On the Bougainville (new advice notes received the names of famous French travelers, navigators and colonialists), it was limited to light cover of the bridge and wheelhouse, as well as thin shields at the deck guns.
The designers managed to complete almost all the tasks assigned to them. Large premises and good communications could the shortest possible time turn any of the "colonial sloops" into a command post. There was even a seaplane that, if necessary, could conduct reconnaissance, adjust fire and deliver important messages. To ensure a very decent cruising range, reaching up to 13 thousand miles, the designers used a diesel engine. True, the lack of domestic engines of this class forced them to be purchased from Austrian and Danish manufacturers. During testing, the ships showed excellent performance, exceeding the planned speed by as much as three knots.
It is not surprising that "Bougainville" and its brothers received very good mark. Just before the start of World War II, it was planned to increase the number of units in the series to ten, but only one La Grandiere was put into operation from the new order; The Botham-Beaupre had just been launched, and the construction of the La Perouse had to be canceled altogether. The war dealt a severe blow to the advice notes that were in service, and they suffered most of all at the hands of the allies and their own sailors. Shortly after the armistice between France and Germany in July 1940, a British submarine sank the Riga de Genouilly, and four months later an even more absurd drama unfolded. Off the coast of Africa near Liberville, two ships of the same type met, both under the French flag, but now belonging to sworn enemies: the Bougainville represented the Vichy government, and the Savorian de Brazza represented the Free France. The sailors had to shoot at their recent colleagues. As a result, the Bougainville was sunk. During the British landing in Diego Suarez in Madagascar, the D'Entrecasteaux was damaged so badly that it was not subsequently restored. The D'Iberville was also unlucky: it ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, namely in November 1942 in Toulon and was destroyed by its sailors so as not to fall into the hands of the Germans. At the very end of the war it was followed by the Amiral Charnay, which was sunk by its crew in Indochina. The remaining three units were actively used after the war. They were scrapped only in 1957 - 1959.
It is clear that these good ships were not well suited for convoy and patrol service in the waters of France proper, being too expensive and luxurious for this purpose. Therefore, just before the war, the laying of a fundamentally different series of patrol ships of the “Elan” type followed. As designed, they were intended primarily for mine sweeping, although decent armament, including twin 100-mm anti-aircraft guns, and a 20-knot speed made them optimal for guarding convoys. By the time of the German invasion, most of the ships launched were able to leave their shores and “emigrate” to England, some of them without weapons. The British installed their 102mm and 40mm machine guns on them. Several unfinished patrol ships briefly ended up in the enemy fleets of Italy and Germany - however, most of them never managed to make a single combat campaign.
Another program to expand the French escort force also remained unimplemented. It provided for the construction of a fairly large series of escort ships similar to the British Flower corvettes (we will talk about them in the future). The first four units were built in England; there they remained after the fall of France. The additional order for 18 ships was supposed to be divided equally between the Allied shipyards, but only four actually entered service, and even then they were part of the Kriegsmarine. The RAF had to deal with the "traitors", three of which went down in 1944. A kind of compensation was the transfer of eight “flowers” to the Free French forces. They fought valiantly in the ranks of the Allied forces; two of them - "Alyss" and "Mimosa" - died in 1942 from torpedoes from German submarines.
V. KOFMAN
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French naval command in certain time came to the conclusion that keeping them in the colonies Peaceful time linear warships unprofitable. When there was no immediate threat from the sea in peacetime, the navy needed ships special purpose with a wide range of capabilities - from patrol service and display of the flag in the colonies to communication and delivery of troops to various regions of the French colonial empire. Advice notes were best suited for this purpose - comparatively small ships with powerful artillery and shallow draft, in order to be able not only to cruise in the seas and oceans, but also to enter rivers.)
In the thirties of the twentieth century, a successful project for colonial advice notes “Bougainville” was developed in France. A total of 8 ships of this series were produced from 1927 to 1937, named in honor of famous French sailors, travelers, colonialists and military men: "Bougainville", "Admiral Charnier", "Dumont d'Urville", "d'Entrecosteau", " La Grandière", "d'Iberville", "Rigo de Genouil" and "Savorgnan de Brazza".
The ships of the Bougainville project had a displacement of 2 thousand tons, had a length of 104 meters, a width of 13 meters and a draft of 4.5 meters. One of the main design requirements had a long range; for this purpose, economical diesel engines "Schulzer" of Swiss or "Burmeister and Wein" of Danish production were chosen as the power plant. Each ship had two engines with a total power of 3,200 horsepower, allowing the advice to reach speeds of up to 17 knots (31 km/h). There was a container for diesel fuel volume of 297 tons, which allowed the advice to autonomously travel 13 thousand nautical miles (24 thousand km) without refueling at an economical speed of 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h).
The armament of the advice note consisted of three single semi-automatic naval artillery guns of 138 mm caliber (two guns at the bow and one at the stern of the advice note). The weight of the gun's shell was 40 kg, and the practical maximum firing range was 16.5 km. The notice also had air defense guns - four 37 mm anti-aircraft guns from the Schneider company and six anti-aircraft coaxial machine guns from the Hotchkiss company with a caliber of 13.2 mm. On board each advice note there were up to 50 sea mines, which made it possible to use it as minelayer. Also, each notice even had a seaplane, which could be used for reconnaissance, communications and fire adjustment. In terms of armament, the advice could easily be classified as a light cruiser. True, they were inferior to the latter in speed, but they were more than superior in range, which was much more important for remote overseas colonies. The crew of each advice note consisted of 14 officers and 121 lower ranks.
Much attention was paid to the crew accommodation conditions. Since the advice note was supposed to be used for sailing in the hot latitudes of West Africa, Indochina, Madagascar and the Antilles, the ships were equipped with a powerful ventilation system and even air conditioning. Let me remind you that this was in the thirties of the last century. The notice had many spacious rooms, which made it possible, if necessary, to transport a company of soldiers on each one or to receive staff officers headed by an admiral. For this purpose, the advice notes were equipped with the most modern means communications. In addition to cruising service and control ship, avisos could be successfully used as gunboats, entering numerous deep rivers of Indochina and Africa, and delivering troops to remote regions.
In appearance, the colonial notices turned out to be very elegant, with clear lines and looked more like pleasure ships or cruise ships, if not for the artillery pieces. They had almost no armor protection, with the exception of thin sheets of armored steel at the wheelhouse and bridge, and the turrets of the main caliber guns. And yet, these beauties managed to successfully take part in the hostilities.
This happened on January 17, 1941 in the Battle of Koh Chang between French and Thai ships during the Franco-Thai War. After the capture of French Indochina by the troops of Imperial Japan, Thailand decided that the time had come to take over the lands disputed with the French in Cambodia. The Thais, in addition to their infantry, also relied on their relatively strong fleet, which included Japanese and Italian-built ships, which included battleships, destroyers, submarines, gunboats, destroyers and patrol boats.
The colonial fleet of French Indochina, based in Saigon, was able to allocate only five combat-ready ships to counter Siam. Among them were light cruiser"Lamotte-Pique", colonial advice notes "Admiral Charnier" and "Dumont d'Urville" and two obsolete advice notes "Marne" and "Tailure".
Initially, the French expected to support their advancing infantry units with fire from the sea, but later received orders from Saigon to attack the Siamese fleet, or rather, its group located in the Gulf of Thailand near the island of Koh Chang. The Thai group included the coastal defense battleship Thonburi, the minelayer Nong Sarai, patrol boat"Teo Utok" and two destroyers "Songkla" and "Chonburi".
The French divided their forces into three groups: the first group (the cruiser "Lamotte-Pique") attacked from the east, the second group (the colonial notes "Admiral Charnier" and "Dumont d'Urville") was supposed to attack the Thais in the center and dislodge them under cruiser fire. The third group (old advice notes "Marn" and "Tayur") had an auxiliary task and was supposed to attack from the west if necessary. The Thai destroyers were the first to open fire, but their shooting was extremely ineffective.
On the French side, the colonial notices were the first to open fire, then the Lamotte-Piquet joined them. The French shot better - an hour later both Siamese destroyers sank. Next, the French attacked the main enemy forces. A duel between the flagships “Lamotte-Piquet” and “Thonburi” began. The Thai battleship had larger caliber guns and better armor protection, but the French shot better - the first shots disabled the battleship's steering and killed its commander.
Soon the Lamotte-Pique was joined by the admiral Charnier and Dumont d'Urville, which also began to fire at the Siamese flagship. At this point fires started and the list to starboard began to increase. The French were unable to pursue the Thonburi due to shallow water; they unsuccessfully fired several torpedoes at it. The Siamese battleship slowly moved towards the shore.
Siamese Air Force attack aircraft went on the attack, but they dropped the first bomb by mistake on their own battleship, further aggravating its condition. The damaged Thonburi ran aground not far from the shore, the crew abandoned the ship.
Thai attack aircraft continued to attack the French, but due to the successful firing of anti-aircraft guns, the Europeans stopped their attacks and returned to base. The French ships returned in triumph to Saigon, where they were greeted with enthusiasm.
