admin7126 CGT 1935-1942 – USN 1942-46. The SS Normandie was one of the most famous ocean liners ever built—a French ship celebrated for her beauty, speed, and tragic fate. Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT), known as the French Line. Launched on October 29, 1932, she entered service … Read more
Germany: SM U43 to U-50 (1914) The U43 class U-Boats were a brand-new type of submarines, not just a scaled up version of the previous U27 or U31 boats. The Project 25 U-Boats, were improved in many ways, not only in terms of range and diving time, while being also larger that previous boats, introducing … Read more
Royal Navy, Type 81 or Tribal-class frigates: 7 ordered, 7 completed, service 1961-2000: Ashanti, Nubian, Gurkha, Eskimo, Tartar, Mohawk, Zulu F117, 131, 122, 119, 133, 125, 124. The British tradition of naming warships after tribes and peoples of the Empire and beyond, already sported by pre-WW1 British destroyers and 1937 Destroyers, was resurrected once last … Read more
Flying Boat, six made. The Rohrbach Ro III was a twin-engined all-metal flying boat built designed and built in Germany in 1923-24 as a development of the Ro II. To escape the allied commission draconian rules, it was presented as an airliner, but coould be quickly reconverted as a reconnaissance seaplane. It was developed later … Read more
Marine Nationale (1886-94), Protected cruisers. Forbin, Surcouf, Coetlogon: service until 1905-21 The Forbin class were three light protected cruisers built in the 1880s for the French Navy, Forbin, Coëtlogon, and Surcouf, ordered as part of a fleet program as flotilla leaders for torpedo boats, armed with just four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns. Forbin remained … Read more
Regia Marina: 4 Built 1936-37: Alfredo Oriani, Vittorio Alfieri, Giosuè Carducci, Vincenzo Gioberti The Oriani class were a near-repeat of the previous Maestrale, themselves derived from the Freccia and Folgore. They were the fourth series in this new design inaugurated in 1930, now representing sixteen modern destroyers for the Regia Marina. They formed the basis … Read more
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force: ASW destroyer (1959-93): JDS Akizuki, Teruzuki. Here on naval encyclopedia, were are intended to cover all three Akizuki class destroyer (so far) in Japanese Naval History. The first was the well known “Type B” large AA destroyers of the Pacific war seen earlier this same months. The third are a 2010 … Read more
US Navy Escort Destroyers (1942-44): 154 planned, 148 completed (6 cancelled, 46 to Britain) The TE (better known as the Buckley class from its lead vessel) or “long hull” were the second escort destroyers of the US Navy. Solely dedicated to ASW escort from a British request for the Atlantic, the majority were still pressed … Read more
French Navy – Contre-Torpilleurs de 2500 tonnes. 6 built 1930-1934, in service until 1942: Vauquelin, Kersaint, Cassard, Tartu, Maillé Brézé, Chevalier Paul. The Vauquelin-class destroyers were a group of six large destroyers (contre-torpilleurs) built for the French Navy in the early 1930s. They were an improvement over the previous Aigle class and were intended to … Read more
Royal Navy (24 built 1937-41) L class: Laforey*, Lance, Gurkha (ex-Larne), Lively, Legion, Lightning, Lookout, Loyal M class: Milne, Mahratta (ex-Marksman), Musketeer, Myrmidon, Matchless, Meteor, Marne, Martin The L and M class were sixteen destroyers of the British Royal Navy, launched between 1939 and 1942. The L class, also referred as Laforey class due to … Read more
