French frigate Commandant Bourdais

Commandant Bourdais at Seine River in July 1989
History
France
Name	Commandant Bourdais
Namesake	Adrien Bourdais
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient
Laid down	April 1959
Launched	15 April 1961
Commissioned	10 March 1963
Decommissioned	1990
Identification	Pennant number: F 740
Fate	Sold to Uruguay Navy in 1991
Uruguay
Name	Uruguay
Namesake	Uruguay
Acquired	1991
Commissioned	1991
Decommissioned	2008
Identification	Pennant number: ROU 01
Fate	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type	Commandant Rivière-class frigate
Displacement	1,750 tons standard, 2,230 tons full load
Length	98.0 m (321 ft 6 in) oa 103.0 m (337 ft 11 in) pp
Beam	11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Draught	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts (4 × SEMT-Pielstick 12-cylinder diesel engines) 16,000 bhp (12,000 kW)
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range	7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × LCP landing craft
Complement	166
Sensors and processing systems	DRBV22A air search radar DRBC32C fire control radar DUBA3 sonar SQS17 sonar
Armament	(Early service) 3 x 100 mm (4 in) guns 2 x 30 mm guns 1 x 305 mm (12 in) anti-submarine mortar 6 x 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (6 L5 torpedoes) (Late Service) 2 x 100 mm (4 in) guns 4 x MM38 Exocet missiles 2 x 30 mm guns 1 x 305 mm (12 in) anti-submarine mortar 6 x 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (6 L5 torpedoes)

Commandant Bourdais (F 740) was a Commandant Rivière-class frigate of French Navy, launched on 15 April 1961 and commissioned on 10 March 1963. She was later sold to National Navy of Uruguay in 1991 where she served as ROU 01 Uruguay until her decommissioning in 2008.

Development and design

Main article: Commandant Rivière-class frigate

The main gun armament of the Commandant Rivière class consisted of three of the new French 100-millimetre (4 in) guns, with a single turret located forward and two turrets aft. These water-cooled automatic dual-purpose guns could fire a 13.5-kilogram (30 lb) shell at an effective range of 12,000 metres (39,000 ft) against surface targets and 6,000 m (20,000 ft) against aircraft at a rate of 60 rounds per minute. A quadruple 305 mm (12 in) anti-submarine mortar was fitted in 'B' position, aft of the forward gun and in front of the ship's superstructure, capable of firing a 230 kg (510 lb) depth charge to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) or in the shore bombardment role, a 100 kg (220 lb) projectile to 6,000 m (20,000 ft). Two triple torpedo tubes were fitted for anti-submarine torpedoes, while the ship's armament was completed by two 30 mm (1.2 in) Hotchkiss HS-30 cannon. The ships had accommodation for an 80-man commando detachment with two fast landing boats, each capable of landing 25 personnel.

Construction and career

Commandant Bourdais was laid down in April 1959 and launched on 15 April 1961 at Arsenal de Lorient in Lorient. The frigate was commissioned on 10 March 1963.

The ship was sold to Uruguay in 1991 and given the new name Uruguay and was in service until 2008. She was sold for scrap some years later.