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French 800-tonne destroyers, Batch 2: Bisson-Class
The second group of six 800-tonne destroyers were ordered in 1911 and 1912 and finished between 1913 and 1914. They were all built to the same plans and resembled each other much more than the first batch units. All had straight funnels and very slightly raked foremasts, which were not as high as in preceding classes. Four of them - Bisson, Renaudin, Protet and Commandant Lucas - were built by Naval yards and could be distinguished by markedly higher funnels, the other two were built by private yards.
Renaudin was the only one of the class to be lost during the war. As built, Bisson, Renaudin and Protet were pretty much identical and looked like this:
They were modernized the same way as the first batch with 10-12 DCs, two 8mm AAMGs, a 75mm AA gun, a Rangefinder and various modifications to the Bridge, which differed on each ship. This picture shows Bisson in 1915, when the 75mm flak was not yet installed:
Protet received the most extensive modifications to her bridge, with a massive breastwork rather than just canvas. This picture shows her at the end of the war with all modifications in place:
Commandant Lucas was identical to the first three except the foremast, which was a tripod; why it was stepped from the front rather than from the rear beats me. The modifications to her bridge were less extensive than in Protet:
Magon was the only ship of her class to serve with the Atlantic fleet, and the only one which received a camouflage paintjob. She also had a sickle-shaped bow.
Mangini had the bow shape of the dockyard-built ships; otherwise she resembled Magon. Both were the fastest of their class. The picture shows her in her post-war livery.
Greedings
GD