- Yes
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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today I’m presenting a new class of French ship, the Enseigne Roux-class destroyer, and to begin, here is the Enseigne Roux itself.
Laid down in the Rochefort shipyards in 1913 and commissioned into the French fleet in 1916, the Enseigne Roux was a destroyer designed to be an improvement in every respect over previous versions. It was faster, had a longer range, and was better equipped and armed for modern conflicts, thus aiming to provide a new class of modern ships for the French Navy.
This vessel therefore entered the war late, but it nevertheless participated in the usual missions of French torpedo boats and destroyers: escorts, coastal and offshore patrols, convoy escorts, and missions to prevent submarine attacks and raids by enemy motorboats. The Enseigne Roux, however, did not see any major combat.
After the armistice, the ships of this class continued to serve in the Navy under various statuses during the interwar period. The first two units of the class, including the Enseigne Roux, were struck from the fleet list in 1935–1936 and subsequently scrapped; the third unit, the Enseigne Gabolde, completed in 1923 in a modified version (different machinery and layout), also had a limited career due to the rapid obsolescence of pre-war designs. The history of the class illustrates the technical transition of the French Navy: a fleet of small, fast vessels, effective during and immediately after the war, but quickly outclassed by new interwar standards.
This ship is named in honor of Jean-Antoine Roux, a French naval ensign who died in the explosion of the battleship Iéna.
Characteristics
Length : 82.6 m
Width : 8.60 m
Draft : 3 m
Mass : 1075 tons
The ship is powered by two Parsons turbines fed by four boilers, giving it a power output of 17,000 hp and allowing it to reach a speed of 30 knots. Its range is estimated at 1,400 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots. The crew consists of 81 sailors.
Weapons
The ship boasts a substantial armament for its time, allowing it to engage numerous enemy units and inflict significant damage.
Guns:
- 2 x 100mm Mle1891
- 4 x 65mm Mle1891
Torpedoes:
- 2 x 450mm Torpedo tubes
In the game, this ship would be an interesting addition to the French coastal tech tree, providing a vessel slightly larger than those already present but with a full complement of weaponry and capable of inflicting serious damage on opposing forces. It would thus complement the French tech tree in a very interesting way.
Sources
- https://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/ark/1022914
- PHOTOS : CONTRE-TORPILLEURS
- * ENSEIGNE ROUX (1916/1937)
- Le contre torpilleur, enseigne Roux, Président Doumergue : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse | Gallica
- Mémorial des officiers de marine
- LISTE ILLUSTRÉE DES CLASSES DE NAVIRE