Doudart de Lagree

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The Commandant Riviere class were a group of frigates built for the French navy in the late 1950's and early 1960's. They were destined to perform the role of overseas patrol sloop in peacetime and Anti-Submarine escort in wartime. Four similar ships were built for the Portuguese Navy as the Jao Belo class frigate. The ships had accommodation for an 80 man commando detachment with two (25 man capacity) fast landing boats.
All ships were decommissioned in the mid 1990's and three frigates were sold to the Uru¬guayan Navy.
Doudart de Lagree was commissioned 1 May 1963 and sold to Uruguay 1991 as the Montivideo.
136

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Built as a frigate at the Arsenal de Lorient (Naval Dockyard) for the French Navy.
24 March 1960 keel laid down.
15 May 1961 launched as the DOUDART DE LAGREE (F 798), one of the nine Commandant Riviere class.
Displacement: 1,960 ton standard, 2,170 ton full load. Dim. 102.70 x 11.80 x 4.35m. (draught).
Powered by four SEMT-Pielstick PC 12 diesels, 16,000 hp (11,700 kW), twin shafts, speed 26 knots.
Range by a speed of 16.5 knots, 7,500 mile.
Armament 4 missiles MM38 Exocet. 2 – 100mm, 2 – 40mm AA guns, 1 mortar 305mm, 2 MG – 12.7 mm. and 6 – 550mm torpedo tubes.
Crew 167 including mariners.
01 May 1963 commissioned.

Her maiden voyage was from Toulon were she from sailed in early June 1963, made calls at Tangier, Dakar, Douala, Pointe Noir before returning to Toulon.
From July 1966 stationed in Polynesia were she joined the French Pacific Squadron, and took part in the first French nuclear test in the Pacific.
01 April 1968 together with the PROTET, CHARNER, CDT. RIVIERE and EV HENRY took part in an other French test in the Pacific.
From 1981 till 1983 used as escort for JEANE D’ARC.
Her second part of her history takes mostly place in the Persian Gulf, were she completed 22 patrols special in the operation to evacuate foreign nationals to the east of Aden from 19 to 28 January 1986 and during the embargo against Iraq.
She is the first ship which made an inspection visited during the embargo on an Iraq ship the BASRAH SUN, and firing a shot and stopped nine other merchant ships in that time.
She took part in the liberation of Kuwait during the war from 17 to 30 January 1991.
After a call at Djibouti she sailed from there on 24 September 1991 bound for Toulon where she remained four days before sailing to Lorient where she arrived on 15 October 1991.
After sailing more as 1 million miles she was placed in reserve on 28 October 1991.
13 December 1991 decommissioned, received on 24 July 1992 the pennant no Q686.
1994 Was moved from Lorient to Brest were she was used as a breakwater-jetty at the Yacht Club Brest till 25 November.
29 November 1999 she was sunk as a target by shots fired from the frigate LATOUCHE TREVILLE off Brest.
French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1980 1f10 sg136, scott84.
Source: http://www.netmarine.net/bat/ae/doudart/index.htm Internet