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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I’m talking to you about a fast escort ship of the E52 class, Le Breton.
The Le Breton (F772) is a fast escort ship of the E52 class, designed in the early 1950s for the French Navy in a context of the Cold War and accelerated modernization of the fleet. Laid down at the Lorient shipyards in 1954, it was launched in 1955 and accepted into active service in 1957. The E52 fast escort ships, derived from American destroyer escort models, were intended primarily for coastal and offshore anti-submarine warfare, while also being able to carry out convoy escort and patrol missions. The Le Breton takes its name from the inhabitants of the Brittany region, following the tradition of naming these ships in reference to French provinces or peoples.
For nearly 20 years, the Le Breton participated in a variety of missions: convoy escort, protection of maritime approaches, coastal surveillance, and international naval cooperation. Equipped with a mixed armament (57 mm guns, anti-submarine mortars, torpedo tubes), it played a versatile role, but remained optimized for anti-submarine warfare. In the 1960s, it was also involved in NATO exercises and overseas missions, illustrating the projection capacity of the French Navy at the time. Decommissioned in 1979, it marked the end of a generation of fast escorts before the arrival of more modern and specialized frigates. The Le Breton remains a testament to the pivotal period when the French Navy was transitioning from units inherited from the Second World War to vessels designed for modern naval strategy.
Characteristics
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Length : 99.8 m
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Width : 10.30 m
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Drafat : 4.30
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Mass : 1702 tons
The ship is powered by two asymmetrical Indret stamped boilers, which gives it a total power of 20,000 hp allowing it to reach 27 knots in maximum speed. 4 diesel alternators complement the engine for electrical production
The crew was originally composed of 198 sailors but was later revised to 170.
Equipment
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Radar :
- DRBV 22A surveillance radar
- DRBN 32 navigation radar
- DRBC 31 fire control radar
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Sonar :
- DUBA 1 sonar
- DUBV 1 sonar
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Decoy and threat detection :
- ARBR 10 sonar detector
Weapons
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Guns :
- 3 x 2 57mm Mle 1951
- 2 x 20mm Oerlikon
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Torpedo :
- 4 x 3 550mm Torpedo launch tube (12 K2 or L3 ready + 12 in hold)
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Other :
- 1 x 375mm rocket launcher Mle 1954
Sources
- Escorteur rapide Le Breton
- Caractéristiques
- LE NORMAND frigates (1956 - 1960)
- Breton - * LE BRETON (1957/1976)
- avions-bateaux.com/uploads/attachment/produit/produit_3478_59ff1f9fb0be07ceb065cfd15f138328.pdf
- Escorteur Rapide Le Breton - Photo n°1443
- Le Normand class Frigate Escorteur Rapide French Navy Marine
