THE COASTAL ESCORT VESSELS

With a maximum displacement of under 400 tonnes, coastal escort vessels rank among the smallest combat units a navy can field. The French Navy could not do without them.

From 1944, the French Navy was glad to recover around thirty American-built PCs in its ranks, which would contribute to the return of French naval forces to the seas. For its operations in Indochina, it requested and obtained some fifteen additional PCs. Then, as the Algerian War began, it equipped itself with 14 coastal escort vessels designed and built in France.

No fewer than 57 coastal escort vessels of varied origins but very similar types would thus succeed one another under the French ensign. Numerous, fairly reliable and very economical, these escort vessels with their many qualities would leave their mark on generations of sailors now gone or among our veterans. May their epics remind the youngest that our dear French Navy will never be able to do without a large number of small combat units capable of operating everywhere and at all times, if only to safeguard our vast and rich maritime domain. Beyond the careers of the 57 small vessels, their origins, technical characteristics, fittings, assigned missions and life on board are extensively covered in this magnificently presented book: A4 format, entirely in colour on glossy paper, with a very large number of illustrations: over 800 photographs, drawings, profiles and ship insignia, maps, all across approximately 448 pages.