Tourville-class Destroyer

The Tourville-class is a class of large high-sea (blue water) destroyers of the French Navy specialized in anti-submarine warfare. They have anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.

Between 1994 and 1996, the Tourville, Duguay-Trouin and De Grasse were refitted with the modern SLASM anti-submarine system, and active Very Low Frequency (VLF) sonar.

The ships are an enlarged version of the F65 class frigate Aconit. They have two shaft steam turbine machinery and a double hangar for two Lynx helicopters. They were the first ships fitted with the marine version of the Crotale surface to air missile system. A Malafon anti-submarine missile system was fitted when the ships were built but this was removed during refits in the late 1980s.

Optimized for anti-submarine warfare, and carrying towed as well as hull-mounted sonar arrays, the Tourvilles were typically placed in the destroyer category of warship and carry destroyer pennant numbers. Similar in many regards to the unmodified Spruance-class destroyers, they carried a similar combination of sensors, naval guns, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, aircraft and surface-to-air missiles. Additionally, they were well-regarded for their seakeeping, serving much of their careers in the Atlantic rather than with France's Mediterranean fleet.

Specifications

 * Type: ASW Destroyer
 * Service Period: 1972-2013
 * Characteristics:
 * Length: 501 feet 2 inches (152.76 meters)
 * Beam: 51 feet 10 inches (15.8 meters)
 * Draught: 21 feet 8 inches (6.6 meters)
 * Displacement: 5,050 tons (Standard); 6,725 tons (Full Load)
 * Crew: 300 (25 officers, 160 non-commissioned officers, 115 men)
 * Propulsion: 2 × Rateau steam turbines, double reduction, 4 × multi-tubular boilers, 2 × fixed propellers, 58,000 shp (43,251 kW)
 * Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
 * Speed: 32 knots (59.26 km/h)
 * Sensor Suite:
 * DRBV 51B surface sentry Radar
 * DRBV 26A air sentry Radar
 * DRBC 32D targeting Radar
 * DRBN 34 navigation Radar x 2
 * DUBV 23 hull Sonar
 * ETBF DSBV 62C Sonar
 * DSBX 1 towed Sonar
 * Syva torpedo alert system
 * SENIT 3 tactical data processing
 * SEAO/OPSMER combat decision-making system
 * HF, UHF, VHF and SHF liaison systems
 * Syracuse 2
 * Inmarsat
 * Link 11
 * Countermeasures:
 * ARBB 32 jammer
 * ARBR 16 RDF interceptor
 * Syllex decoy launcher x 2
 * Bubble belt
 * Armament:
 * 2 x 100mm/55-caliber Modèle 68 dual purpose naval guns
 * 1 x Crotale EDIR CIWS anti-air missiles (8 missiles on launcher, 16 in magazine)
 * 6 × Exocet MM38 anti-ship missiles
 * 2 × L5 Mod 4 torpedo launchers, 10 torpedoes on board
 * 2 x 20mm cannons
 * 4 x 12.7mm machine guns
 * Aircraft Carried: 2 x Eurocopter AS565 Panther

Unit Run

 * MN Tourville (D612)
 * MN Duguay-Trouin (D611)
 * MN De Grasse (D612)