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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today I’m going to talk about a little-known French warship, a World War I vessel: the trawler Ailly.
At the beginning of World War I, France possessed a substantial naval force. However, although highly developed, this fleet was designed for line battles between battleships with destroyers as escorts, a style of combat that rarely materialized. Indeed, the new threat of submarines made the use of such ships impractical and extremely dangerous. This is why the French Navy quickly decided to arm a number of smaller vessels, often acquired from civilian ships, to protect convoys transporting troops and supplies.
The Ailly was one of these ships. Originally launched by John Duthie Torry as the Riverdale in 1907, it was bought by a shipowner from Dieppe in 1914 and joined the French fleet at the start of the First World War. While this small trawler saw little combat for most of the war, this changed at the beginning of 1918.
Indeed, while towing two sailing ships (the Gloria and the Roi René) in the Mediterranean Sea, the Ailly was engaged by the U-boat UC-35, a submarine that had sunk around fifty ships since the beginning of the war. Cutting its towline, the Ailly went into combat position and, with the first shots (at a distance of approximately 7,000 meters), hit its target with its forward 75mm gun, striking the ammunition the submariners were loading for their 88mm gun. This impact shattered the conning tower and ballast tanks, causing a breach in the bow of the submarine, which sank within minutes. The Ailly halted the firing while the ship was still 5,000 meters from the submarine, as the latter was already disabled (a remarkable feat for a 75mm gun). Several sailors were rescued, including a Spanish sailor who had been captured during the attack and destruction of his ship the previous day. The crew of the Ailly were commended and decorated for their courage and exemplary conduct during this attack.
At the end of the war, the ship was converted back into a fishing vessel in Dieppe. He remained there for the rest of his career. At the start of the Second World War, the ship was still in service. It was requisitioned as an auxiliary minesweeper by the Germans and carried out several missions in the English Channel during the war to retrieve mines. Unfortunately, in 1943, the ship struck a mine off La Rochelle and was completely destroyed, marking the end of this incredible vessel’s story.
It is difficult to know exactly what the ship’s name refers to (there are several places/sites named Ailly in the Dieppe area), however, it is highly likely that the name refers to the Pointe d’Ailly and its lighthouse, located a few kilometers southwest of Dieppe.
Characteristics
Length : 34.90 m
Width : 6.60 m
Draft : 3.64 m
Mass : 140 tons
The ship is powered by a 430 hp triple-expansion engine coupled to a single propeller, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 11 knots. Its crew consists of about fifteen sailors.
Weapons
The ship’s armament was, to say the least, minimal, consisting of only two guns, one at the bow and one at the stern.
- 1 x 75mm Mle1897 (front gun)
- 1 x 47mm QF 3 Pouder (rear gun)
In-game, this ship would be an interesting addition to the French tech tree, bringing a vessel with a mythical history that has marked the history of French auxiliary ships.
Pictures
