Fauconneau was one of four Durandal-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the late 1890s.

Sister ship Espingole moving at slow speed in harbor
History
France
Name	Fauconneau
Namesake	Falconet
Ordered	1896
Builder	Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand, Le Havre
Launched	2 April 1900
Stricken	15 January 1921
Fate	Sold for scrap, 20 April 1921
General characteristics
Class and type	Durandal-class destroyer
Displacement	311 t (306 long tons)
Length	57.64 m (189 ft 1 in)
Beam	6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)
Draft	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Depth	4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
Installed power	2 × Normand boilers 5,200 PS (3,800 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Shafts 2 × Triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	2,300 nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	52 officers and enlisted men
Armament	1 × 65 mm (2.6 in) gun 6 × 47 mm (1.9 in) guns 2 × 381 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes

Design and description

The Durandals had an overall length of 57.64 meters (189 ft 1 in), a beam of 6.3 meters (20 ft 8 in), and a maximum draft of 3.2 meters (10 ft 6 in).[1] They displaced 311 metric tons (306 long tons) at deep load. The two triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, were designed to produce a total of 5,200 metric horsepower (3,825 kW), using steam provided by two Normand boilers.[2] The ships had a designed speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), but Fauconneau reached 27.14 knots (50.26 km/h; 31.23 mph) during her sea trials.[1] The ships carried enough coal to give them a range of 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Their original complement consisted of four officers and sixty enlisted men, but the number of enlisted men increased to 60 in 1899.[2]

The Durandal-class ships were armed with a single 65-millimeter (2.6 in) gun forward of the bridge and six 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns, three on each broadside. They were fitted with two single 381-millimeter (15 in) torpedo tubes, one between the funnels and the other on the stern. Two reload torpedoes were also carried; their air flasks, however, had to be charged before they could be used, a process that took several hours. The Modèle 1887 torpedo that they used had a warhead weight of 42 kilograms (93 lb).[2]

Construction and career

Fauconneau was ordered from Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand and the ship was launched on 2 April 1900 at its shipyard in Le Havre. She began her sea trials on 5 July 1900.[1]

During World War I, Fauconneau scuttled the French destroyer Fantassin in the Ionian Sea on 5 June 1915 after Fantassin suffered serious damage in a collision with the French destroyer Mameluck.[3]

References

Bibliography

• Caresse, Philippe (2013). "The Unlucky Destroyer Espignole". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2013. London: Conway. ISBN 978-1-84486-205-4.
• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.