Le Hardi class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Hardi class was a group of twelve French navy
destroyer
s (torpilleurs) laid down in 1936 to 1938 and eight ships were commissioned in 1940, with four ships never finished. They were the lighter counterparts to the very fast larger destroyers of the Mogador class
, and the successors of Adroit class.
The ships of the Hardi class were significantly heavier than the Adroits, carrying two additional 130mm guns in enclosed turrets and an extra torpedo tube. They were also 4kts faster being designed to operate with the new French fast battleship
s Dunkerque
and Strasbourg
.
Some of the eight ships of the class were renamed in 1941, taking the names of destroyers previously sunk during the war.
The entire class was scuttled in Toulon harbour
in November 1942 to prevent them falling into German hands.
Three ships – Épée/Adroit, Fleuret/Foudroyant and Lansequenet, were raised, repaired and commissioned into the Italian navy during 1943 as FR33, FR36 and FR35 respectively. When Italy switched sides, all three were captured by the Germans. Épée was captured in turn by the Allies and the other two scuttled once more to prevent capture.
intended to complete her for service. Since French armament was not available and for standardisation with the rest of the German Navy, 12.7 cm guns and German pattern torpedo tubes were ordered. Work proceeded tardily until all progress was abandoned in July 1943. The hull was eventually broken up on the slip Ref
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...
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 (torpilleurs) laid down in 1936 to 1938 and eight ships were commissioned in 1940, with four ships never finished. They were the lighter counterparts to the very fast larger destroyers of the Mogador class
Mogador class destroyer
The Mogador-class large destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1935 and commissioned in 1939. They were extremely fast, very large destroyers intended to act as scouts for the two fast Dunkerque-class battleships...
, and the successors of Adroit class.
The ships of the Hardi class were significantly heavier than the Adroits, carrying two additional 130mm guns in enclosed turrets and an extra torpedo tube. They were also 4kts faster being designed to operate with the new French fast battleship
Fast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
s Dunkerque
French battleship Dunkerque
The Dunkerque was the first unit of a new class of warships of the French Navy built in the 1930s, officially rated as battleships, or even «navires de ligne» , as Dunkerque and Strasbourg constituted, from the commissionig of Strasbourg to some days after Mers-el Kebir, the «1ère Division de Ligne»...
and Strasbourg
French battleship Strasbourg
The Strasbourg was a more heavily armoured Dunkerque-class battleship of the French Navy, labeled as a "fast battleship". Faster than full battleships, but not as heavily armed or armoured as them, they were designed to counter the threat of the German "pocket battleships" - the Deutschland-class...
.
Some of the eight ships of the class were renamed in 1941, taking the names of destroyers previously sunk during the war.
Ships
The ships of the class were:| Ship | Builder | Launched | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardi | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire was a French shipbuilding company of the late 19th and early 20th century.ACL was formed in 1881 in Nantes by Jollet Babin to take advantage of the expansion of the French Navy.... , 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.... |
4 May 1938 | Scuttled 27 November 1942, raised as FR37, scuttled Genoa 24 April 1945 |
| Fleuret (later, Foudroyant) | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer La Seyne-sur-Mer La Seyne-sur-Mer, or La Seyne is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is part of the agglomeration of Toulon, and is situated adjacent to the west of this city.-Economy:... |
28 July 1938 | Scuttled 27 November 1942, raised as FR35, Scuttled August 1944 |
| Épée (later renamed to Adroit) | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde Forges Et Chantiers De La Gironde Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde was a French shipbuilder at Lormont near Bordeaux on the Gironde estuary. The company was previously called Usine de construction navale Chaigneau et Bichon, then Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde S.A. Ets Schneider, before becoming Forges et Chantiers de la... , 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... |
26 October 1938 | Scuttled 27 November 1942, raised as FR33, returned to France in a non repairable condition |
| Mameluk | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes | 18 Feb 1939 | Scuttled 27 November 1942 |
| Casque | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 2 November 1938 | Scuttled 27 November 1942 |
| Flibustier | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 14 December 1949 | Scuttled 27 November 1942 |
| Lansequenet | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 20 May 1939 | Scuttled 27 November 1942,raised as FR34, scuttled Genoa 24 April 1945 |
| Corsaire (later renamed to Sirocco). | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 14 November 1939 | Scuttled 27 November 1942,raised as FR32, Scuttled in Genoa 1943 |
| Intrépide | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 26 June 1941 | Not completed, Scrapped post war |
| Téméraire | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 7 November 1941 | Not completed, Scrapped post war |
| Opiniâtre | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | not launched | Intended for completion by the Germans, as the ZF2, never finished |
| Aventurier | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 20 April 1947 | Used as an experimental hulk post war, BU 1971 |
The entire class was scuttled in Toulon harbour
Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces during Operation Lila of the Case Anton takeover of Vichy France.- Context :...
in November 1942 to prevent them falling into German hands.
Three ships – Épée/Adroit, Fleuret/Foudroyant and Lansequenet, were raised, repaired and commissioned into the Italian navy during 1943 as FR33, FR36 and FR35 respectively. When Italy switched sides, all three were captured by the Germans. Épée was captured in turn by the Allies and the other two scuttled once more to prevent capture.
ZF2
The Hull of the Opiniâtre was captured intact and 16% complete in Bordeaux and the KriegsmarineKriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
intended to complete her for service. Since French armament was not available and for standardisation with the rest of the German Navy, 12.7 cm guns and German pattern torpedo tubes were ordered. Work proceeded tardily until all progress was abandoned in July 1943. The hull was eventually broken up on the slip Ref