Corsica, Brest, Normand, Agen, Alsatian etc.
18 French escorts with names of inhabitant of a province or a French city go during more than 30 years to carry out multiple missions at a time mainly marked by the cold war. In a troubled world, fast escorts will contribute with the escorts of squadron on the return to France of just maritime ambitions.
These 18 ships only existed in the memory of those who armed them. They were fairly unstable in crosswinds but their sea-keeping was generally considered very good, given their small displacement. The propulsion apparatus, steam, was also appreciated for its simplicity and robustness. Very alert ships, powerfully armed in relation to their size, good rollers and good walkers. Everything would have been perfect if on board, bad weather remained the main concern of the crew: light, tapered, these ships danced the jig when the sea forced, it moved quite a bit in the hollow ... In heavy weather, life on board became rough, the slightest work a test ... enough to leave tons of memories that this book aims to awaken!
Methodically, after a presentation of the technical elements specific to each class or series, the career of each ship is traced to you. Illustrated with documents and testimonies totally unpublished, a good part of the history of the French navy from the fifties to the eighties parades ...
464 pages, more than 760 photos, 60 colors silhouettes & hull atlas plans.