The First Destroyers of France. The Night Raiders of the Third Republic

In the second half of the 19th century, the emergence of new weapons—torpedoes and destroyers—had a tremendous impact on the development of naval warfare. It was at this time that costly armored giants lost their absolute dominance at sea. The... destroyer forces of France became some of the most advanced, where the fascination with small, swift "night raiders" manifested particularly strongly. In the Third Republic, the construction of destroyers began under the program of 1875, and the lead destroyer of the series "Bouclier," laid down in 1909, already developed a record speed of 35 knots, making it the fastest ship in the entire French Navy. In addition, the French actively sold their destroyers to other countries. Even China at the turn of the century ordered two mine cruisers from France, but the largest customer was the Russian Empire. Under the Andreevsky flag, the destroyers built in Le Havre would actively participate in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. In 1916, the destroyer "Grozovoy" sank the newest German submarine, an achievement that no destroyer of the Russian fleet could replicate. A new book by a well-known naval historian from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century tells for the first time in all detail about the creation, design, evolution, and combat use of French destroyers from 1875 to 1910. The publication is illustrated with unique drawings and photographs.