Enseigne-Gabolde counter torpedo boat class, Enseigne-Gabolde

Mathll · May 21, 2026, 10:36pm

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today I’m presenting a rather unique ship in French history, one that probably has one of the shortest operational histories in the French Navy: the only ship of its class, the Enseigne Gadolbe.

At the outbreak of the First World War, France had just begun commissioning its new class of destroyers, the Enseigne Roux class. However, the rapid escalation of the conflict quickly disrupted shipbuilding programs, delaying or halting many planned vessels.

Before the war, naval strategy had largely focused on constructing heavy ships for line-of-battle engagements and fast units for offensive operations. The sudden and widespread use of submarines, however, fundamentally changed naval warfare. Large, slow warships became highly vulnerable to these new threats, against which they had limited means of defense. As a result, major navies were forced to adapt quickly, shifting their priorities toward the rapid, large-scale construction of escort vessels, often based on civilian designs, capable of protecting merchant and transport convoys from submarine attacks.

It was in this context that construction of the Enseigne Gaboldle was halted. Originally part of the Enseigne Roux class and laid down in June 1914 in Le Havre, the ship remained incomplete throughout the war.

Following the end of the conflict in 1918, construction resumed. However, informed by wartime experience, the French Admiralty significantly revised the original design. The ship was modified to better meet the demands of modern naval warfare, particularly in terms of escort and anti-submarine capabilities.

The Enseigne Gaboldle was eventually launched in 1921 and entered active service with the French Navy in 1923. Unfortunately, little is known about his operational career. The ship remained in service until 1938, when it was finally decommissioned, bringing a relatively obscure chapter of French naval history to a close.

The ship is named in honor of Ensign Jean Gabolde, who was one of the 206 sailors who died fighting the fire on the battleship Liberté in the port of Toulon, a fire which affected the powder magazine and destroyed the ship.

Characteristics

Length : 83.00 m

Width : 8.00 m

Draught : 3.20 m

Mass : 910 tons

The ship is powered by two turbines fed by four Normand oil-fired boilers (200 tons in the bunker), giving it a total power output of 20,000 hp. Its advertised maximum speed is 31 knots, with a maximum speed of 33.5 knots achieved during sea trials. Its range is 1,400 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots.

The crew consists of 86 members.

Weapons

The ship’s armament is particularly improved compared to that of its original class, both in terms of torpedo capacity and main guns.

Guns :

3 x 1 100mm/45 Mle1891 canon (2 bow and 1 aft)
1 x 1 75mm/50 Mle1908 AA canon (between the chimney)

Torpedo :

2 x 2 Torpedo tube for 550mm Mle1923DT torpedo

This ship would be an interesting addition to the French tech tree, bringing a version of a destroyer with more developed armament and better combat capabilities in general, making it a unique and interesting ship to add to the game.

Pictures

Sources

CharAznable3 · May 21, 2026, 10:37pm

One sad thing with these boats is the complete lack of even AA that could engage a float plane.