Georges Leygues-class frigate
 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Georges Leygues class |
| Builders: | Brest arsenal |
| Operators: |
 French Navy |
| Preceded by: | Tourville class |
| Succeeded by: | Aquitaine class (anti-submarine variant) |
| Built: | 1974–1988 |
| In commission: | 10 December 1979 – present |
| Completed: | 7 |
| Active: | 5 |
| Retired: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: |
3,550 t (3,494 long tons) 4,500 t (4,429 long tons) full load |
| Length: | 139 m (456 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 14 m (45 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 5.7 m (18 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range: | 7,400 nmi (13,700 km; 8,500 mi) |
| Complement: | 235 |
| Armament: |
Anti-ship: 4 × MM38/MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles Anti-submarine: 2 × fixed torpedo tubes (10 × L5 mod 4 or MU90 torpedoes) Guns: 1 × Creusot-Loire Compact 100mm/55 Mod 68 DP gun 2 × 30 mm Breda-Mauser or 20 mm F2 anti-aircraft guns 2/4 × 12.7 machine guns CIWS: 1 × Crotale Navale EDIR octuple launcher (26 × CIWS anti-air missiles) 2 × Simbad twin launcher (Mistral 4 × CIWS anti-air missiles) |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × Westland Lynx anti-ship helicopters |
The Georges Leygues class (Type F70 AS) is a class of anti-submarine destroyers of the French Navy. They are multi-role ships due to their Exocet and Crotale missile armament, making them especially suitable for the defence of strategic positions, show of force operations, or as high seas escorts. The F70 is internationally labelled an "anti-submarine destroyer" (hence the "D" in the hull numbers), though the French do not use the term and refer to the ships as "frigates".
Design
The superstructures were built to optimise resistance to the blast from nuclear explosions. The last three ships of the class had their bridges raised one deck to overcome problems experienced by the first four in bad weather, as well as being equipped with DSBV 61 passive linear towed array sonar and several other upgraded systems.[1]
.jpg)
Ships in class
| Georges Leygues-class frigates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Pennant number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
| Georges Leygues | D 640 | Arsenal de Brest | 16 September 1974 | 17 December 1976 | 10 December 1979 | Decommissioned 21 March 2014[2] |
| Dupleix | D 641 | 17 October 1975 | 2 December 1978 | 13 June 1981 | Decommissioned July 2015 | |
| Montcalm | D 642 | 5 December 1975 | 31 May 1980 | 28 May 1982 | In service | |
| Jean de Vienne | D 643 | 26 October 1979 | 17 November 1981 | 25 May 1984 | In service | |
| Primauguet | D 644 | 17 November 1981 | 17 March 1984 | 5 November 1986 | In service | |
| Lamotte-Picquet | D 645 | 12 February 1982 | 6 February 1985 | 18 February 1988 | In service | |
| Latouche-Treville | D 646 | 15 February 1984 | 19 March 1988 | 16 July 1990 | In service | |
References
- ↑ Miller, David; Chris Miller (1986). Modern Naval Combat. USA: Salamandar Books. pp. 100–101. ISBN 0-517-61350-6.
- ↑ "Retrait définitif du service pour la frégate Georges Leygues" (in French). ActuNautique.com. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
