Bouclier 1918
Casque 1914
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Bouclier | Normand, Le Havre | 1909 | 29/6/1911 | 1911 | stricken 2/1933 | |
| Boutefeu | Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | 1909 | 2/5/1911 | 1911 | sunk 15/5/1917 | |
| Casque | F C de la Méditerranée, La Seyne | 1909 | 25/8/1910 | 1911 | stricken 3/1926 | |
| Cimeterre | F C de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 1909 | 13/4/1911 | 1912 | stricken 7/1926 | |
| Dague | F C de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 1909 | 13/4/1911 | 1912 | sunk 24/2/1915 | |
| Faulx | De la Brosse et Fouché, Nantes | 1909 | 2/2/1911 | 1912 | collision 18/4/1918 | |
| Fourche | De la Brosse et Fouché, Nantes | 1909 | 21/10/1910 | 1912 | sunk 23/6/1916 | |
| Capitaine Mehl | A C de la Loire, St-Nazaire | 1910 | 20/4/1912 | 1912 | stricken 7/1926 | |
| Commandant Bory | Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | 1910 | 14/9/1912 | 1913 | stricken 7/1926 | |
| Commandant Rivière | F C de la Gironde, Bordeaux | 1910 | 2/10/1912 | 1913 | stricken 6/1933 | |
| Dehorter | Penhoët, St-Nazaire | 1910 | 18/4/1912 | 1913 | stricken 1933 | |
| Francis Garnier | Normand, Le Havre | 1910 | 1/10/1912 | 1913 | stricken 2/1926 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
720 - 756 |
|
Displacement full, t |
760 - 820 |
|
Length, m |
Bouclier: 72.3 others: 74.0 - 78.3 |
|
Breadth, m |
7.60 - 8.00 |
|
Draught, m |
2.90 - 3.30 |
|
No of shafts |
Bouclier, Casque: 3 others: 2 |
|
Machinery |
Bouclier, Casque, Capitaine Mehl, Dehorter, Francis Garnier: Parsons steam turbines, 4 Normand, Normand-Sigaudy, Du Temple or Dyle et Bacalan boilers Boutefeu, Commandant Rivière: Zoelly steam turbines, 4 Normand, Normand-Sigaudy, Du Temple or Dyle et Bacalan boilers Cimeterre, Dague: Bréguet steam turbines, 4 Normand, Normand-Sigaudy, Du Temple or Dyle et Bacalan boilers Faulx, Fourche, Commandant Bory: Rateau steam turbines, 4 Normand, Normand-Sigaudy, Du Temple or Dyle et Bacalan boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
13000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
30 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 120 - 160 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 1200-1400(12-14) |
|
Armament |
2 x 1 - 100/45 M1893, 4 x 1 - 65/50 M1902, 2 x 2 - 450 TT |
| Complement | 80 - 83 |
Ship project history: The first group of 800ton destroyers. Destroyers were built by different yards and differed from each other by ship dimensions, type of steam turbines and a little by an outline profile. On trials all reached designed speed (Bouclier has shown record result: 35.5kts), but by 1918 because of an overload and machinery deterioration maximum speed did not exceed 24-26kts.
Casque was differed from sister-ships by machinery arrangement, three-funnel outline profile and forecastle with turtleback-form deck. On trials she reached 34.9kts.
Modernizations: 1916 - 1918, all survived: + 1 x 1 - 75/35 M1915 or M1915-18, 2 x 1 - 8/80, 2 DCR (8 - 10).
Naval service: Bouclier was damaged by German destroyers off Dunkirk 20/5/1917, 8/12/1917 she lost her poop after explosion of own DC. Boutefeu was cut in half 15/5/1917 at Brindisi on a mine laid by German submarine UC25, Fourche was torpedoed and sunk 23/6/1916 by Austrian submarine U15. Dague was stricken 24/2/1915 by drifting mine at coast of Montenegro, Faulx was rammed by destroyer Mangini 18/4/1918 in Otranto Strait. Commandant Rivière in action against Austrian destroyer Dinara 22/12/1916 was badly damaged (one boiler room was knocked out). Casque twice received serious damages from collisions: with Italian destroyer Giuseppe Cesare Alba in the Otranto Strait 23/12/1916 and with French minelayer Pluton off Dardanelles 29/8/1918, but both times was repaired and commissioned again.
Francis Garnier
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-10