French frigate Commandant Bourdais

Commandant Bourdais (F 740) was a Commandant Rivière-class frigate of French Navy. She was later transferred to National Navy of Uruguay in 1991.

Commandant Bourdais at Seine River in July 1989
History
France
NameCommandant Bourdais
NamesakeAdrien Bourdais
BuilderArsenal de Lorient, Lorient
Laid downApril 1959
Launched15 April 1961
Commissioned10 March 1963
Decommissioned1990
IdentificationPennant number: F 740
FateSold to Uruguay Navy in 1991
Uruguay
NameUruguay
NamesakeUruguay
Acquired1991
Commissioned1991
Decommissioned2008
IdentificationPennant number: ROU 01
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and typeCommandant Rivière-class frigate
Displacement1,750 tons standard, 2,230 tons full load
Length
  • 98.0 m (321 ft 6 in) oa
  • 103.0 m (337 ft 11 in) pp
Beam11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Draught4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried
2 × LCP landing craft
Complement166
Sensors and
processing systems
  • DRBV22A air search radar
  • DRBC32C fire control radar
  • DUBA3 sonar
  • SQS17 sonar
Armament

Development and design

The main gun armament of the Commandant Rivière class consisted of three of the new French 100-millimetre (4 in) guns, with a single turret located forward and two turrets aft.[1][2] These water-cooled automatic dual-purpose guns could fire a 13.5-kilogram (30 lb) shell at an effective range of 12,000 metres (39,000 ft) against surface targets and 6,000 m (20,000 ft) against aircraft at a rate of 60 rounds per minute.[3] A quadruple 305 mm (12 in) anti-submarine mortar was fitted in 'B' position, aft of the forward gun and in front of the ship's superstructure,[1] capable of firing a 230 kg (510 lb) depth charge to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) or in the shore bombardment role, a 100 kg (220 lb) projectile to 6,000 m (20,000 ft).[4] Two triple torpedo tubes were fitted for anti-submarine torpedoes, while the ship's armament was completed by two 30 mm (1.2 in) Hotchkiss HS-30 cannon.[1] The ships had accommodation for an 80-man commando detachment with two fast landing boats, each capable of landing 25 personnel.[5]

Construction and career

Commandant Bourdais was laid down in April 1959 and launched on 15 April 1961 at Arsenal de Lorient in Lorient. The frigate was commissioned on 10 March 1963.

The ship was sold to Uruguay in 1991 and given the new name Uruguay and was in service until 2008.[6] She was sold for scrap some years later.

References

  1. Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 117.
  2. Blackman 1962, p. 88.
  3. Friedman 1997, pp. 432–433.
  4. Grove 1990, p. 55.
  5. Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 118.
  6. "Uruguay Navy - Uruguay (Commandant Riviere) light ASW/patrol frigates". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
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