Audaz-class destroyer

The Audaz-class was a class of nine destroyers built for the Spanish Navy after the Second World War. Construction was slow, with only four completed to the original design from 1953–1956. The remaining five ships completed as anti-submarine escorts with a new armament and sensor fit from 1960 to 1965, while the original four ships were also modified to this standard. Built at Ferrol, they completed in 1946–1950 and were rated as Gunboats, and were redesignated as Frigates in 1959. The last of the class, Intrepido, was stricken in 1982.

Class overview
Builders:	Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval, Ferrol
Operators:	Spanish Navy
Preceded by:	Churruca-class destroyer
Succeeded by:	Oquendo-class destroyer
Completed:	9
Scrapped:	8
General characteristics Original design
Displacement:	1,124 t (1,106 long tons) standard
Length:	93.9 m (308 ft 1 in) o/a
Beam:	9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draught:	3.0 m (9 ft 10 in)
Installed power:	30,800 shp (23,000 kW)
Propulsion:	3 × boilers 2 × Rateau-Bretagne geared steam turbines
Speed:	33 kn (38 mph; 61 km/h)
Range:	3,800 nautical miles (4,400 mi; 7,000 km) at 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement:	145
Armament:	3× 105mm (4.1 in) dual-purpose guns 4× 37mm anti-aircraft guns 8× 20mm anti-aircraft guns 6× 533 mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes
General characteristics As modified
Displacement:	1,247 t (1,227 long tons) standard
Armament:	2× 76mm (3 in)/50 anti-aircraft guns 2× 40mm Bofors L/70 anti-aircraft guns

Construction and design

In 1945, the Spanish State began work on a class of nine small destroyers or torpedo boats, based on the French Le Fier-class torpedo boat design.[1] Seven Le Fier-class ships were laid down in 1939–1940 before the French surrender in 1940 stopped construction. Germany restarted construction of six of the ships, with different armament, but none were completed.[2] The Spanish ships used the same armament layout as intended by the Germans.[3]

The ships were 93.9 metres (308 ft 1 in) long overall and 90.0 metres (295 ft 3 in) between perpendiculars, with a Beam of 9.4 metres (30 ft 10 in) and a Draft of 3.0 metres (9 ft 10 in). Displacement was 1,124 tonnes (1,106 long tons) standard and 1,498 tonnes (1,474 long tons) full load.[3] They had a unit machinery layout, with boiler and engine rooms alternating.[1] Three La Siene 3-drum boilers generated steam at 3,400 kilopascals (500 psi) and 375 °F (191 °C) which was fed to Rateau-Bretagne geared steam turbines, rated at 30,800 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW) giving a speed of 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h). 290 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 3,800 nautical miles (4,400 mi; 7,000 km) at a speed of 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) and 900 nautical miles (1,000 mi; 1,700 km) at 33 knots.[3][4][5]

As originally designed, they were armed with three 105 mm (4.1 inch) dual-purpose guns, all mounted aft, with four 37-mm anti-aircraft guns (one of which was mounted forward of the ship's bridge) and eight 20-mm anti-aircraft guns. Six 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes in two triple mounts were fitted.[3][6] The ships had a complement of 145 men[3]

From 1959, the availability of US military aid resulted in the five ships that were still being built to be completed to a revised design as anti-submarine escorts, with a completely new armament and sensor outfit, while the four ships which had been delivered were refitted to the new standard.[7] Anti-aircraft armament consisted of two US 3-inch (76 mm) Mark 34 guns mounted aft and two 40 mm Bofors L/70 guns, with one forward of the bridge and one aft of the ship's funnels. Two Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars were fitted, together with eight depth-charge throwers and two depth charge racks, and two launchers for 342-mm Mark 32 anti-submarine torpedoes.[3][6][5] The modified ships were fitted with MLA-1B air-search radar, SPS-5B surface search radar and SPG-34 fire control radar, with QHBa sonar.[6][5]

Displacement increased to 1,227 long tons (1,247 t) standard and 1,550 long tons (1,570 t) full load while speed dropped to 31.6 knots (36.4 mph; 58.5 km/h)[3][8] The revised ship's complement was recorded as 191 in 1971 and 199 in 1979.[8][5]

Service

Although all nine ships were laid down at the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval (SECN) shipyard at Ferrol dockyard in 1945, financial problems slowed construction, and the first ship, Audaz, was not completed until 1953.[3][6] Three more were completed by 1956, with the remaining five ships completing to the revised arrangement from 1960 to 1965, while the original four ships were modernised by the end of 1963.[3][8]

One ship, Ariete, was wrecked in 1966 when it ran aground, while the remaining ships started to be discarded in 1972, with the last ship, Intrépido, stricken in 1982.[3]

Ships

At first, the ships of the class were designated as conventional destroyers, but they were redesignated as fast frigates in 1955, as anti-submarine frigates in 1956 and as anti-submarine destroyers in 1961.[8]

Name	Pennant Number[lower-alpha 1]	Laid down[3]	Launched[3]	Completed[3]	Fate[3]
Ariete	D36	3 August 1945	24 February 1955	7 February 1961	Ran aground and wrecked at entrance to River Muros 25 February 1966.[6]
Audaz	D31	26 September 1945	24 January 1951	30 June 1953	Stricken 1974
Furor	D34	3 August 1945	24 February 1955	9 September 1960	Stricken 1974
Intrépido	D38	14 July 1945	15 February 1961	25 March 1962	Stricken 1982
Meteoro[lower-alpha 2]	D33	3 August 1945	4 September 1951	30 November 1955	Stricken 1975
Osado		3 August 1945	4 September 1951	26 January 1955	Stricken 1972
Rayo	D35	3 August 1945	4 September 1951	26 January 1956	Stricken 1974
Relámpago	D39	14 July 1945	26 September 1961	7 July 1965	Stricken 1965
Temerario	D37	14 July 1945	29 March 1960	16 March 1964	Stricken 1965

References

1. From 1961[9]
2. Originally named Atrevido.[3]

1. Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 402
2. Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 272
3. Gardiner & Chumbley 1995, p. 433
4. Blackman1960, p. 264
5. Moore 1979, p. 437
6. "Audaz". Purnell's illustrated encyclopedia of modern Weapons and Warfare. pp. 214–215.
7. Gardiner & Chumbley 1995, pp. 427–428, 433
8. Blackman 1971, p. 290
9. Blackman 1962, p. 213

• Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1960). Jane's Fighting Ships 1960–61. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1962). Jane's Fighting Ships 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1971). Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. ISBN 0-354-00096-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Moore, John, ed. (1979). Jane's Fighting Ships 1979–80. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-354-00587-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)