FAN Dupuy De Lome (CLA-1937)
With the laying down of the Dunkerque and Alsace classes the French had to build escorts that could keep up in both speed and endurance. Such ships were the Dupuy De Lome class ships. Meant to be dual purpose ships they were armed with the new quadruple 5.1" turret of which four were fitted per ship. This gave a very useful AA armament of 16 barrels. The ships were also destroyer killers, and with twelve torpedo tubes they had a lot of bigger teeth to take on ships larger than themselves.
Despite the above it was the ships speed that gave it an edge. Making 135,000shp on trials for a speed of 41 knots the ships could keep up with the large destroyers of the Mogador and Fantasque types and act as leader when required. The normal speed quoted for general duties was 100,000shp for a speed of 35 knots. When compared with contemporary AA cruisers in other navies the De Lomes more than held their own, with a blend of speed and firepower unmatched by the other ships of the type.
| Displacement | 7,200 tons std 9,100 tons full load |
| Length | 554 ft |
| Breadth | 54 ft |
| Draught | 24 ft |
| Machinery | 4 shaft steam turbines, 100,000shp |
| Speed | 35 knots |
| Range | 6500 miles at 18 knots |
| Armour | 2" side, 2" deck over machinery and magazines |
| Armament | 16 x 5.1" (4x4) 16 x 37mm (8x2) |
| Mines | nil |
| Torpedoes | 12 x 21" (4x3) |
| Complement | 655 |
| Notes | FAN Dupuy De Lome |
