Voltigeur counter torpido boat class, Tirailleur

Mathll · June 20, 2026, 3:13am

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today I’m presenting the second and final ship of the Voltigeur class, the Tirailleur.

The Voltigeur class was the 8th class of destroyers produced by France. Directly inspired by the previous class (the Spahi class), this class nevertheless had a very different propulsion system, a hybrid (one triple-expansion engine and two turbines) to save fuel during transit and increase top speed during combat.

Laid down in 1908 at the Gironde shipyards, the Tirailleur entered service with the French forces in 1910 within the Mediterranean Squadron, specifically in the 3rd Torpedo Boat Squadron of the 3rd Naval Army. At the beginning of the First World War, the ship was still deployed with this unit, and it was in this context that the Tirailleur participated in the Battle of Antivari. However, as the 3rd squadron was tasked with escorting French armored cruisers, the ship did not see combat.

Subsequently, like most French destroyers, the Tirailleur was assigned to escort transport and merchant ships. Indeed, the new threat posed by submarines, a threat materialized by the torpedoing of the Jean Bart, became too significant. The naval command decided to withdraw large warships, thus moving them away from the battlefield and the threat, and to advance the destroyers, small, fast, and agile vessels capable of defending themselves against submarines. The Tirailleur therefore remained in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean for the rest of the war to patrol the area and protect the ships stationed there.

At the end of the war, the ship, although still relatively new, did not remain in service for very long. Indeed, the emergence of new threats necessitated the addition of new technologies and the modernization of ships, leading to the decommissioning of many pre-war destroyers, which were replaced by vessels better suited to these new requirements. Consequently, the Tirailleur was struck from the lists and decommissioned in 1921. The ship was named in honor of the Tirailleurs, the name given to light infantry soldiers, initially from France but later composed of soldiers from the colonies.

Characteristics

Length : 68.00 m

Width : 7.00 m

Draught : 3.00 m

Mass : 600 tons

This vessel boasts a truly unique propulsion system, featuring three engines, two turbines, and a triple-expansion steam engine, all powered by four Normand coal-fired boilers. This configuration gives it a total power output of 8,500 hp, allowing it to reach a speed of 28 knots (a speed of 31.3 knots was achieved during sea trials). Its range is 2,200 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots.

Its crew consists of 79 sailors.

Weapons

The ship’s armament is designed to be simple but effective, and therefore includes the following:

Guns :

6 x 65mm/50 Mle1905 canons

Torpedo :

1 x 450mm fix bow tube (Torpedo 450 Mle1912)
1x2 450mm adjustable tube (Torpedo 450 Mle1912)

In addition to the 3 torpedo already present in the tubes, 3 other were in hold (1 reload per tube)

In-game this ship would be an incredible addition to the French tree, bringing a ship with a completely original engine system and substantial armament, making the Voltigeur an interesting addition to the French coastal tree.

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