Durandal-class destroyer

The Durandal class was a group of four destroyers built for the French Navy between 1896 and 1900, used during the First World War. These vessels were France's first true destroyers rather than torpedo boats. Two units were launched in 1899 while another two followed in 1900. Another four destroyers of the similar Samsun class were laid down in 1906 and completed in 1907 for the Ottoman Navy, they also served in the First World War. These vessels, which were an enlarged derivative of the previous s, resembled the of Great Britain. Its hull had a turtleback bow to reduce water resistance, with two masts and two funnels. The ships were powered by two triple expansion engines fed by water tube boilers, giving a speed of , and were armed by two torpedo tubes (with two reload torpedoes carried on board), a and six guns. The Durandal destroyers were laid down between 1896 and 1897 and completed between 1899 and 1900. Espingole struck a rock in the Bay of Cavalaire-sur-Mer off the South of France on 4 February 1903, which caused the ship to sink. The three remaining destroyers served through the First World War, operating in both the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. They were sold for scrap in 1921. All four were built by Normand at Le Havre. The first pair (Durandal and Hallebarde) were ordered on 5 and 25 August 1896 respectively. They had a turtledeck forecastle and a flying deck aft, with two masts and two funnels widely separated by their machinery. The second pair (Fauconneau and Espignole) were ordered on 14 April 1897, and differed from the first pair by having a strengthened hull and a slightly raised bow. – launched 11 February 1899, stricken 7 April 1919. – launched 8 June 1899, stricken 4 March 1920. – launched 2 April 1900, stricken 15 January 1921. – launched 28 June 1900, ran aground and lost 4 February 1903. The Samsun-class destroyers had similar dimensions to the Durandal class, but had more powerful machinery, more powerful armament, higher top speed and shorter range.