French destroyer Ouragan
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| Career |     |
|---|---|
| Built By: | Chantiers Navals Francais (Caen, France) |
| Laid down: | 3 Apr, 1923 |
| Launched: | 6 Dec, 1924 |
| Commissioned: | 19 Jan, 1927 |
| Paid off: | |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1949 |
| Penant: | H16 (while in Allied service) |
| General Characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: | standard: 1,319 tons full load: 1,727 tons |
| Length: | 106 metres |
| Beam: | 10.1 m |
| Draught: | 4.3 m |
| Propulsion: | Geared turbines, 2 shafts, 31,000 shp |
| Speed: | 33 knots |
| Range: | 2,300 nm (at 14 knots) |
| Complement: | 145 |
| Armament: | 4 x 130mm (5.1") guns (4x1), later reduced to 3 2 x 37 mm anti-aircraft (2x1) 4 x 13.2 mm anti-aircraft (2x2) 6 x 550 mm (21.7") torpedo tubes (2x3) 2 depth charge throwers 2 depth charge launchers |
| Armour: | |
| Aircraft: | none |
The Ouragan was a French Bourrasque class destroyer, commissioned in 1927. During World War II, she served with a Polish crew from 18 June 1940 until 30 April 1941. Ouragan is the French word for "hurricane".
During the first year of World War II, Ouragan served with the 4th Destroyer Division with destroyers Bourrasque and Orage, based at Brest.
At the time of the German invasion of France in 1940, she was undergoing engine repairs at Brest. The Royal Navy towed her to Devonport where the repairs were completed. After the French surrender in June, the British commandeered her on 3rd July and she was transferred to the Polish Navy on 17 July 1940. Until 30 April 1941 she sailed under the Polish ensign (using pennant number H16) but as OF Ouragan (OF - Okręt Francuski - "French ship"), instead of the usual ORP prefix. She was commanded by Lieut-cdr. T. Gorazdowski; most of Ouragan's crew were transferred from ORP Grom, which had been sunk on 4 May 1940, during the Battle of Narvik.
Ouragan participated in operations around the British Isles, during which she suffered storm damage (flooded engine and boiler rooms) and a series of debilitating technical problems, requiring a total of 194 days under repair (compared to 31days at sea). On April 30, 1941, after 287 days in Polish service, Ouragan was returned to the Free French Forces, who in turn passed her to the Royal Navy in 1943. She never returned to active operations, was decomissioned on 7 April 1949 and scrapped.
