Tourville-class frigate

The F67 type, also known as the Tourville class was a class of large high-sea (blue water) Frigates of the French Navy specialised in anti-submarine warfare. They had anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.

De Grasse
Class overview
Name	Tourville class
Operators	French Navy
Preceded by	Aconit
Succeeded by	Georges Leygues class
Completed	3
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	4,580 tonnes  standard 6,100 tonnes  fully loaded
Length	152.75 m (501 ft 2 in)
Beam	15.80 m (51 ft 10 in)
Draught	6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
Propulsion	2 × Rateau steam turbines, double reduction 4 × multi-tubular boilers 2 × fixed propellers 58,000 shp (43,251 kW) Fuel: Gazoil
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	1,900 nmi (3,500 km; 2,200 mi) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	24 officers 160 non-commissioned officers 115 men
Sensors and processing systems	DRBV 51B surface sentry radar DRBV 26A air sentry radar DRBC 32D targeting radar 2 × DRBN 34 navigation radars 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
Electronic warfare & decoys	ARBB 32 jammer ARBR 16 radar interceptor 2 × Syllex decoy launchers Bubble belt
Armament	Anti-ship; 6 × Exocet MM38 anti-ship missiles Anti-submarine; 2 × L5 torpedo launchers, 10 torpedoes on board (L5 mod 4) Guns; 2 × 100 mm turrets (1968 model) 2 × 20 mm cannons 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns CIWS; 1 × Crotale EDIR CIWS anti-air missiles (8 missiles on launcher, 16 in magazine)
Aircraft carried	2 × Lynx WG13 anti-ship helicopters

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

Design

Close-up of the bow deck of Tourville; the 100 mm turret is clearly visible

The Crotale missile launcher

The ships are an enlarged version of the frigate Aconit. They have two shaft steam turbine machinery and a double hangar for two Lynx WG13 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.

Ships

The three ships of the class, D612 De Grasse, D611 Duguay-Trouin and D610 Tourville, are named major figures from French naval history. De Grasse and Tourville were French admirals and Duguay-Trouin coming to fame as a privateer.

The three ships of the class were all constructed by Arsenal de Lorient.

Pennant number	Ship	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Status
D610	Tourville	13 May 1972	21 June 1974	16 June 2011	Laid Up
D611	Duguay-Trouin	1 June 1973	17 September 1975	13 July 1999	Discarded, in use as a breakwater
D612	De Grasse	30 November 1974	1 October 1977	5 May 2013	Laid Up

References

• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.