The Bouclier class, or Casque class, was a class of twelve destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s of the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

 built between 1910 and 1912, four of which were lost during the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

This 800-tonne class were built by various shipyards to a general specification that included oil-fired boilers and steam turbines. This allowed for some variations in size (from 237–256 ft (72.2–78 m) in length) and machinery (Bouclier and Casque had three shafts, all the others had two, while Casque has three funnels, all the rest had four). Speeds also varied, Bory was the slowest at only 24 knots (13.1 m/s), while Bouclier achieved 35.5 knots (19.3 m/s) in trails.

All ships of the class received the standard armament of two 100 mm (3.9 in) 1893 Model guns, four 65 mm (2.6 in) 1902 Model guns and two twin trainable 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s. During World War I, a 45 mm (1.8 in) or 75 mm (3 in) anti-aircraft gun, two 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine guns, and eight or ten Guiraud-type depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s were added.

All but three (Bouclier, Capitaine Mehl and Francis Garnier) of the ships in the class served in the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 between 1914-1918.

Ships

Name	Builder	Launched	Fate
Bouclier	Normand Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand Chantiers et Ateliers A. Normand is a French shipyard in Le Havre. They were notable for building small warships in the early part of the 20th century.They also developed the Normand boiler, an early design of three-drum water-tube boiler.... , Le Havre Le Havre Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...	29 June 1911	Struck, 15 February 1933
Boutefeu	Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...	2 May 1911	Sunk by mine Naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...  laid by off Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city... , 15 May 1917
Capitaine Mehl	A. et Ch. de la Loire, St. Nazaire	20 April 1912	Struck, 10 July 1926
Casque	F. et Ch. de la Méditerranée Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée The Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée was a French shipbuilding company. The 'Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée' was founded in 1853 by Philip Taylor, while a new company, the 'Nouvelle' société, was founded in 1856. It had shipyards in La Seyne-sur-Mer,... , Le Havre Le Havre Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...	25 August 1910	Struck, 26 March 1926. Broken up, 1927.
Cimeterre	F. et Ch. de la Gironde, Bordeaux	13 April 1911	Struck, 10 July 1926
Commandant Bory	Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux	14 September 1912	Struck, 29 July 1926
Commandant Rivière	F. et Ch. de la Bordeaux	2 October 1912	Struck, June 1933
Dague	F. et Ch. de la Bordeaux	13 April 1911	Sunk by a drifting mine Naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...  in Antivari Roads Bar, Montenegro Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727... , 24 February 1915
Dehorter	Penhoët, St. Nazaire	18 April 1912	Struck, 1933
Faulx	De la Brosse et Fouche, Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....	2 February 1911	Accidentally rammed and sunk by Mangini Bisson class destroyer The Bisson class was a class of four destroyers of the French Navy built between 1912-14, used during the First World War. The class is named in tribute to the French Admiral Hippolyte Bisson who sacrificed himself aboard the ship Panayoti in 1827 during the Greek War of Independence.The ships,... in Strait of Otranto Strait of Otranto The Strait of Otranto connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The strait is named after the Italian city of Otranto.- History :... , 18 April 1918
Fourche	De la Brosse et Fouche, Nantes	21 October 1910	Torpedoed and sunk by , 23 June 1918
Francis Garnier	Normand, Le Havre	1 October 1912	Struck, 10 February 1926