shipstamps.co.uk

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 Uru­guayan Navy.


Commandant Bourdais was commissioned 10 march 1963 and sold to Uruguay 1990 as the Uruguay.



SG494, SG137.

Built as Dual Purpose Frigate (Avisos Escourteur) by the Lorient Dockyard for the French Navy.
03 April 1959 keel laid down.
15 April 1961 launched under the name COMMANDANT BOURDAIS. (F740) one of a class of 9 built.
Named after Edmé, Adrien Bourdais (1820-1861)
Displacement 1960 standard 2170 full load. Dim. 102.70 x 11.80 x 4.35m. (draught).
Powered by 4 Semt-Pielstck 12PC1V400 diesels 16.000 bhp. (11.770 kW.), speed 26 knots, twin screws.
Radius 4.500 miles by 15 knots.
Armament 2 – 100mm AA, 2 – 40mm AA, 1 – 305mm mortar, 4 – MG 12.7mm, 4 MM38 Exocet missiles, 6 – 550 mm anti-submarine torpedo tubes.
Crew 9 officers, 66 petty officers, and 91 ratings.
10 March 1963 commissioned.

She was built with the intention to use her as deep sea fishery protection ship in the waters around Canada, Greenland, and Spitsbergen, in this role she got some modifications, her bow was ice-strengthened, and she was fitted out with a hospital with operating theatre and dentist room. The bunks in the hospital were stabilized against the rolling and pitching of the vessel.
She was used in this role until 1972, when on 27 June 1972 she sailed from France heading for the Arctic waters; she reached a position of 81º 05’ 48’’ north, before heading home.

1973 Stationed at Diego-Suarez in the north of Madagascar, and made from there in the years 1974, 1975, and 1978 voyages to the Antarctic waters and visited the French Antarctic.
The last years of her career under the French flag used as an escort vessel with the helicopter carrier JEANNE d’ARC. (1983-1989).

14 March 1990 sold to the Uruguayan Navy and renamed ROU URUGUAY.
Under the Uruguay flag given as a Light ASW/patrol frigate.
Armament: 4 MM 38 Exocet SSM, 2 – 100mm, 2 – 40mm AA, 1 – 305 mm ASW mortar, 2 triple 21.5 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew 159.

2008 Decommissioned and thereafter scrapped.

Source: http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/ netmarine.net/bat/ae/cdtbourdais/index.htm