Chamois-class minesweeping sloop


The Chamois class were French minesweeping sloops ordered between 1935 and 1939. They were similar in design to the, and like them classed as minesweepers, but were actually used as anti-submarine ships, convoy escorts and patrol vessels.
Although all 24 ships of the class were laid down between 1936 and 1939, only five were commissioned in time to serve in the French Navy during World War II. Of the remaining ships, four were completed by the Germans, of which three where commissioned, twelve were scrapped incomplete, and three were eventually completed after the war and served in the French Navy into the 1960s.

Design and armaments

The 647 tonne ships were long overall, in the beam, and had a draught of. They were powered by two Sulzer diesel engines, delivering to two shafts, which gave a top speed of. The 105 tonne fuel capacity gave them a maximum range of at. The ship's complement was 88 in peacetime, but 106 during the war.
The ships were originally designed to be armed with twin Model 1933 /45 DP guns, one quadruple and two twin Hotchkiss 13.2 mm AA machine guns, and minesweeping gear. In fact the five ships completed before the outbreak of the war were fitted with either a Model 1892 or a Model 1932 /45 gun or twin Model 1926 /50 guns, the machine guns as designed, two depth charge projectors and racks.
The three vessels that survived the war were rearmed in 1948 and received twin Model 1926 90 mm/50 guns, a single 40 mm/60 Mk.3 gun and six single 20 mm/70 Mk.2 guns, two depth charge projectors and racks. The ships that were completed about the same time were fitted with twin /45 SK C/32 guns, but were otherwise the same.
The three ships that were commissioned by the Germans during the war were fitted with German armaments. All received two single SK C/32 guns, a twin /83 SK C/30 AA gun, and a quadruple 20 mm/65 C/38 AA gun. Two ships were armed with a further ten single C/38 guns, while the SG21 had two twin and six single guns of the same type.

Ships

Completed pre-war