French destroyer Jauréguiberry (D637)

The fleet escort Jauréguiberry was a French destroyer of the T 53 class, designed for anti-air and (to a lesser extent) anti-submarine roles. She was the second French Navy vessel to bear the name.

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Jauréguiberry.
Bouvet, sister ship of Jauréguiberry, in 1965
History
France
Name: Jauréguiberry
Namesake: Bernard Jauréguiberry
Laid down: September 1954
Launched: 5 November 1955
Commissioned: 15 July 1958
Decommissioned: 16 September 1977
Stricken: 30 May 1986
Homeport: Brest
Identification: D 637
Fate: Sunk as the target ship Q580 for the experimentation of the Exocet missile.
General characteristics
Class and type: T 53-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 2,750 tons standard
  • 3,740 tons full load
Length: 128.6 m (422 ft)
Beam: 12.7 m (42 ft)
Draught: 5.4 m (18 ft)
Propulsion: 2 shaft geared turbines, 4 boilers, 63,000 hp (46,979 kW)
Speed: 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range: 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement: 347
Armament:
  • 6 × 127 mm guns (3 twin turrets)
  • 6 × 57 mm guns (3 twin turrets)
  • 4 × 20 mm guns (4 × 1)
  • 12 × 550 mm torpedo tubes (4 × 3)

Laid down in September 1954, the vessel was launched on 5 November 1955. Jauréguiberry was commissioned into the Marine Nationale on 15 July 1958 with the identification number D 637.

Service history

In 1966 and 1968, she was involved in two nuclear tests with "Force Alfa", and a third one in 1970 with the cruiser De Grasse, in the Pacific Ocean. In 1974, she achieved a long mission with the frigate Duquesne.

In the beginning of 1977, a few months before being decommissioned, she was used for the film "Le Crabe-Tambour" by Pierre Schoendoerffer. The ship was decommissioned 16 September 1977, its hull receiving No. Q580. It was then used as a target ship for testing an ARMAT anti-radar missile on 16 June 1982.

It was sunk on 30 May 1986 as a target during tests to test the Exocet MM40 missile.

Sources and references
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