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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I’m talking about the last of the French Navy’s “T”-shaped destroyers, the only one of the T56 class, the Galissonière.
The La Galissonnière (D638) is a Type T 56 escort destroyer, developed in the late 1950s as an evolution of the T 47 escort ships. Laid down at the Lorient shipyards in 1957, it was launched on March 19, 1960, and commissioned in 1962. It was named in honor of Roland-Michel Barrin, Marquis de La Galissonnière, naval officer and governor of New France in the 18th century. Unlike its Type T 47 predecessors, the T 56 La Galissonnière was designed from the outset for anti-submarine warfare, with a reinforced hull, advanced hull sonar, and torpedo tubes. It was also the only one of its class to be fitted with the Malafon missile from the design stage, thus becoming a prototype for what would inspire future escort ships.
The La Galissonnière quickly established itself as a technological benchmark for ASW warfare in the French Navy. Assigned to the Mediterranean and then Atlantic squadrons, it participated in numerous surveillance missions, NATO exercises, and escorts of strategic vessels, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). Its Malafon system, combined with a high-performance sonar, gave it a remote underwater strike capability, highly valued during the Cold War. It was also used to validate certain doctrines for the use of French ASW missiles. Decommissioned in 1990, after nearly 30 years of service, it has not been preserved as a museum ship, but its name remains attached to a pivotal phase of French naval modernization, between traditional escort and advanced electronic warfare.
Characteristics
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Length : 128 m
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Width : 12 m
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Draft : 5 m
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Mass : 3750 tons
The vessel is powered by a 63,000 hp Rateau turbine connected to two propellers, enabling the vessel to reach speeds of 32 knots. Its range is 5,000 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.
The vessel’s crew consists of approximately 272 sailors.
One of the interesting features of the Galisonnière is its helicopter hangar, which is located at the rear of the ship and unfolds to form the takeoff/landing platform, saving significant space on deck. This hangar can store an Alouette III.
Equipment
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Radar :
- DRBV 22A surveillance radar
- DRBV 50 surveillance and navigation radar
- DRBC 32A control fire radar
- DRBN 32 navigation radar
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Sonar :
- DUBV 23 hull sonar
- DUBV 43 towed sonar
Weapons
- 2 x 100mm Mle 1953 canon
- 2 x 20mm canon
- 6 x 550mm torpedo launch tube
- 1 x 305mm quadruple mortar
- 1 x Malafon launcher
The Malafon launcher allows the launch of a “glider” directed by the ship and initially propelled by a powder charge (maximum speed of 800 km/h allowing a maximum range of 13 kilometers). This glider carries a 553 mm L4 torpedo which it releases at the desired moment in order to hit a target more precisely. The firing coordinates and the release distance are provided by the launcher ship’s sonar. The ship’s hold can store 13 Malafon missiles.
Unlike the other ships in this series (T47, T53, T56), the Galissonière never received any improvement/retrofit during its career.
Pictures
