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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I am presenting a Bougainville-class sloop: the Savorgnan de Brazza.
The Bougainville class was a series of colonial sloops designed for service across the French colonial empire. Ten vessels were ordered and distributed among various French colonies. Their purpose was to provide significant firepower and long-range capabilities without requiring the crew, maintenance, or logistical support of a larger destroyer.
The third ship of the class, Savorgnan de Brazza, was laid down in 1929 and entered service with the French Navy in 1933. Alongside her sister ship Amiral Charner, she was assigned to the French Far East Fleet, operating in the colonies of Indochina and Cochinchina.
In February 1940, Savorgnan de Brazza was recalled to France as the international situation deteriorated. She arrived just as fighting was breaking out in France and was immediately deployed to Dunkirk, where she took part in the evacuation of British troops trapped by the German advance.
After reaching the United Kingdom, the ship was seized by the British and subsequently transferred to the Free French Naval Forces (FNFL). Under the Free French flag, Savorgnan de Brazza was soon involved in a number of operations alongside the Allies.
Among these was the Battle of Dakar, where the ship played only a limited role. She later took part in the Battle of Libreville in November 1940, during which she engaged Vichy French forces. During the battle, Savorgnan de Brazza sank her first enemy vessel: the Bougainville, the lead ship of her own class, which had remained under Vichy control.
As the war progressed, Savorgnan de Brazza continued to serve with the Allied naval forces. Towards the end of the conflict, she was deployed to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, operating alongside the British fleet in these distant theatres.
Following the end of the Second World War, Savorgnan de Brazza returned to France, but her period of inactivity was short-lived. The First Indochina War was still underway, and the veteran sloop was soon sent back to Southeast Asia to support French operations there.
She remained in Indochina for nearly another decade, continuing to serve in the region until the end of the conflict and beyond. After a long career spanning the colonial period, the Second World War, and the Indochina War, Savorgnan de Brazza was finally decommissioned in 1957.
Characteristics
Length : 103.70 m
Width : 12.70 m
Draught : 4.50 m
Mass : 1,970 tons
The ship is powered by two Sulzer diesel engines delivering a total of 3,200 hp. This enables a top speed of 18.2 knots (trial speed) and a range of 13,000 nautical miles at 13.5 knots.
The crew consists of 135 sailors.
Weapons
The ship’s armament is particularly noteworthy, combining substantial firepower from its main anti-ship batteries with adequate anti-aircraft weaponry.
Guns:
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3 x 138.6mm Mle 1927 guns (two forward, one aft)
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4 x 37mm Mle 1925 guns
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3 x twin 13.2mm Hotchkiss machine guns
Other:
- 50 x naval mines
Additionally, a Gourdou-Leseurre GL832 HY seaplane can be carried on board for reconnaissance missions.
In-game, this ship would be an excellent addition to the French tech tree; it offers a unique history—having sunk a vessel of its own class in combat—and would serve as an interesting complement to the French lineup.
