The Branlebas-class was a development of the previous, and was the final evolution of the 300-tonne type which the French had built since 1899 with their first destroyer class, the . Like all the 300-tonne destroyers, the Branlebas-class ships had a turtledeck forecastle with a flying deck, raised above the hull, aft.[1]
They were 58m (190feet) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 6.28m (20.6feet) and a maximum draught of 2.96m (09.71feet).[2] Displacement was 344disp=flipNaNdisp=flip.[3] Two coal-fired Normand or Du Temple boilers fed steam at 265psi to two 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, rated at 6800ihp, and driving two propeller shafts, giving a design speed of 27.5kn.[2] [3] Speeds reached during sea trials ranged from for to for . The ships had a range of 2100nmi at .[4]
A 20adj=onNaNadj=on belt of armour was fitted to protect the ship's boilers and machinery.[5] The class was built with the standard gun armament for the 300-tonne destroyers, with a single 65mm forward, backed up by six 47mm guns, while two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes were carried, with one amidships and one right aft.[1] [2] The ships had a complement of 4 officers and 56 men.[3]
The Branlebas class were considered good sea-boats, with reliable machinery.[6] [7] By the time the class was built, however, they were outclassed by contemporary British and German destroyers, such as the and the German being larger (and more heavily armed.[6] (French destroyer size had been kept small owing to the influence of the Jeune École, which favoured the construction of large numbers of small ships.)[6]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Fate[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normand | November 1905 | 8 October 1907 | Sunk by mine 30 September 1915 | ||
| Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | December 1905 | 20 March 1908 | Sank 25 April 1917 | ||
| Normand | November 1905 | 12 December 1907 | Stricken 29 September 1925 | ||
| Dyle et Bacalan, Bordeaux | December 1905 | 4 May 1908 | Stricken 27 May 1925 | ||
| Chantiers de Penhoët, Rouen | November 1905 | 21 December 1907 | Stricken 14 May 1921 | ||
| Rochefort Dockyard | May 1905 | 10 September 1908 | Stricken 13 February 1932 | ||
| De La Brosse et Fouché, Nantes | June 1906 | 4 April 1908 | Stricken 27 May 1921 | ||
| Rochefort Dockyard | May 1905 | 3 July 1909 | Stricken 3 May 1926 | ||
| De La Brosse et Fouché, Nantes | June 1906 | 5 February 1908 | Stricken 10 May 1920 | ||
| Chantiers de Penhoët, Rouen | November 1905 | 23 September 1908 | Stricken 3 May 1926 |