Character singular history of France in Hong Kong, the destroyer cons "Sling" is unique in the annals of the Navy. It sank in Hong Kong in 1906, has been refloated and repaired, then participated in one of the first naval battle of 1914.
The cons destroyer "Sling" is one of a series of twenty ships of 300 tons, called type "Arquebuse", the first of this series commissioned in the early twentieth century. The lightweight construction of these vessels resulting theories of the "Young School" school of thought initiated by strategic naval Admiral Aube, Minister of Marine in the late 1880s. At that time, the introduction of the torpedo in the range of naval guns raised high hopes among some French naval officers. They hope indeed that this new weapon, supposedly unstoppable, will help counter the dominance of other navies equipped with powerful battleships, particularly the Royal Navy. The great rival sea background of colonial expansion, is still for a few years the British fleet before improved relations between France and England in 1904 opens on the Entente Cordiale.
Supporters of the "Young School", sailors but also politicians and many journalists who have a passion for naval strategy then, think that a swarm of small vessels armed with torpedoes must be able to saturate the defenses of the great ocean liners and put out of action. Behind this theory is the idea that France can save a large number of small torpedo boats or destroyers returning cons cheaper than a smaller fleet of big battleships. It is indeed can spend as much money as possible rearmament against Germany Land. The priority given to small units of area at the expense of large buildings responds to the strategic axis of France. The late nineteenth century and early twentieth century are thus the start of construction of hundreds of small boats, from 100 to several hundred tons. On the eve of the First World War, the French navy destroyers and 272 aligns and cons destroyers under this theory of the "Young School". The "Sling" is one.
The cons destroyers from the series "Arquebuse" weighing about 300 tons, a length of 58.3 meters. They are equipped with engines of 2300 hp which gives them a high speed of 30 knots, the main advantage of these ships armaments consists mainly torpedoes. Despite their small size, these buildings are valued for their seaworthiness. Admiral Hallier, who in 1906 commanded as lieutenant on "Sabre", the ship of this series, writes: "This little 350-ton destroyer has shown, on this occasion (Admiral evokes the typhoon in Hong Kong) , wonderful nautical qualities. After the typhoon, I would have faced without the slightest apprehension, any time in any sea: for I do not think a building this size could ever be subjected to a test harder than the latter. "
The "Fronde", launched in 1902 with "Building Workshops and the Gironde in Bordeaux, is called to active duty in 1903. The cons destroyer belongs to the first squadron of the Mediterranean, based in Toulon. Then, March 9, 1904, the "Fronde" and its sister ships "Javelin", "Musket" and "Pistol" sailed from Algiers, along with the cruiser D'Assas, to join the Naval Division Far East (DNEO). The fleet reached Saigon on April 23. "The Sling" and "Gun" continues through Hong Kong, where they anchored in the port of Victoria on 1 June. This is the first stop in Hong Kong against the destroyer "Sling", which set sail on July 8, reached Shanghai on July 11, then enter it in dry dock on August 2. From 1904 to 1906, the "Fronde" sailing between Shanghai, Fort Bayard, Guangzhou, Macau, Haiphong and Saigon. The ship also returns several times in Hong Kong, among others in October 1904 and April 1906. Finally, September 15, 1906, the "Sling" made a last stop in Hong Kong with four other destroyers cons of DNEO, "Javelin", head of fleet, "Francisco", "Rapier" and "Sabre". The fleet arrives in Shanghai and has faced a queue of typhoon Sept. 13. She underwent September 18 in Hong Kong a violent typhoon which we have already told the story . The "Fronde" was severely damaged and five of its crew perished that day (the English squadron delivered as Admiral Boisse, commander of the DNEO a check for 25 pounds sterling for the families of missing the Fronde).
The wreckage remains 75 days under water but DNEO decides to bail it out and fix it. The operation is facilitated precisely by the small size of this class of destroyers cons. The arsenal of Saigon means Boysson 2nd class engineer to oversee the operation from the company of marine works in Hong Kong, "Protector". The wreckage was found on December 1 and enters the dry dock in Hong Hom, Kowloon. The cons destroyer receives a new front shell portion, consisting mainly repairs to ensure its airworthiness. The boat leaves the pool March 14, 1907 and left Hong Kong on March 20, towed by the cruiser "Algiers" March 24 to join the arsenal of Saigon. He completed several months his equipment and weapons. Subsequently, from 1907 to 1914, the "Fronde" crossed the waters from Indochina, the Mekong delta in Lake Tonle Sap, Cambodia, patrolling along the coast, bringing supplies to the garrisons or providing hydrographic work.
The First World War provides the "Fronde" during an appearance last notable. The ship, which is then integrated into the flotilla of destroyers cons of Saigon, in fact involved in an early naval battles of the war. The German cruiser "Emden", Wing German China, sailing in pirate since the beginning of hostilities. He has already sunk 22 boats of Commerce allies when he faced 28 October 1914, at the port of Penang in the Straits of Malacca, the Russian cruiser "Yemtchoug," the French aviso "Iberville" and cons destroyers "Musket", "Gun" and "Sling". This is in port, disassembled. The "Emden", in the tradition of privateering vessels, has disguised his sillouhette Greant in a 4th false chimney on her deck to look like a British cruiser. It comes close to the Russian ship which, surprise, is taken under the German guns, broke in two and sank. Of the French ships, only the "Musket", back from patrol, could intervene. But despite its torpedoes that were supposed to give it supremacy over the heavier ships, it is quickly destroyed by the guns of the "Emden," which collects 46 survivors. 43 members of the crew, including the commander, were killed in action. The crew of the "Fronde" witnessing helplessly as the destruction of two ships. A ship's officer wrote: "And in all it was the same rage can do nothing. The unanimous feeling was like to go through the bottom it was nothing, but go there without even being able to shoot a gun, without a fight, suffer the slaughter without resistance which we had to have poor performance for our Russian friends, it seemed too hard. "
In March 1915, the destroyer cons "Fronde" in the Mediterranean and back to patrol until the end of the war. The ship was decommissioned 30 October 1919 and her hull was sold to Toulon May 6, 1920. This time, the "Fronde" finally completed his naval career, which already had almost ended September 18, 1906, at the bottom of the port of Hong Kong ...
Supporters of the "Young School", sailors but also politicians and many journalists who have a passion for naval strategy then, think that a swarm of small vessels armed with torpedoes must be able to saturate the defenses of the great ocean liners and put out of action. Behind this theory is the idea that France can save a large number of small torpedo boats or destroyers returning cons cheaper than a smaller fleet of big battleships. It is indeed can spend as much money as possible rearmament against Germany Land. The priority given to small units of area at the expense of large buildings responds to the strategic axis of France. The late nineteenth century and early twentieth century are thus the start of construction of hundreds of small boats, from 100 to several hundred tons. On the eve of the First World War, the French navy destroyers and 272 aligns and cons destroyers under this theory of the "Young School". The "Sling" is one.
The cons destroyers from the series "Arquebuse" weighing about 300 tons, a length of 58.3 meters. They are equipped with engines of 2300 hp which gives them a high speed of 30 knots, the main advantage of these ships armaments consists mainly torpedoes. Despite their small size, these buildings are valued for their seaworthiness. Admiral Hallier, who in 1906 commanded as lieutenant on "Sabre", the ship of this series, writes: "This little 350-ton destroyer has shown, on this occasion (Admiral evokes the typhoon in Hong Kong) , wonderful nautical qualities. After the typhoon, I would have faced without the slightest apprehension, any time in any sea: for I do not think a building this size could ever be subjected to a test harder than the latter. " The "Fronde", launched in 1902 with "Building Workshops and the Gironde in Bordeaux, is called to active duty in 1903. The cons destroyer belongs to the first squadron of the Mediterranean, based in Toulon. Then, March 9, 1904, the "Fronde" and its sister ships "Javelin", "Musket" and "Pistol" sailed from Algiers, along with the cruiser D'Assas, to join the Naval Division Far East (DNEO). The fleet reached Saigon on April 23. "The Sling" and "Gun" continues through Hong Kong, where they anchored in the port of Victoria on 1 June. This is the first stop in Hong Kong against the destroyer "Sling", which set sail on July 8, reached Shanghai on July 11, then enter it in dry dock on August 2. From 1904 to 1906, the "Fronde" sailing between Shanghai, Fort Bayard, Guangzhou, Macau, Haiphong and Saigon. The ship also returns several times in Hong Kong, among others in October 1904 and April 1906. Finally, September 15, 1906, the "Sling" made a last stop in Hong Kong with four other destroyers cons of DNEO, "Javelin", head of fleet, "Francisco", "Rapier" and "Sabre". The fleet arrives in Shanghai and has faced a queue of typhoon Sept. 13. She underwent September 18 in Hong Kong a violent typhoon which we have already told the story . The "Fronde" was severely damaged and five of its crew perished that day (the English squadron delivered as Admiral Boisse, commander of the DNEO a check for 25 pounds sterling for the families of missing the Fronde).
The wreckage remains 75 days under water but DNEO decides to bail it out and fix it. The operation is facilitated precisely by the small size of this class of destroyers cons. The arsenal of Saigon means Boysson 2nd class engineer to oversee the operation from the company of marine works in Hong Kong, "Protector". The wreckage was found on December 1 and enters the dry dock in Hong Hom, Kowloon. The cons destroyer receives a new front shell portion, consisting mainly repairs to ensure its airworthiness. The boat leaves the pool March 14, 1907 and left Hong Kong on March 20, towed by the cruiser "Algiers" March 24 to join the arsenal of Saigon. He completed several months his equipment and weapons. Subsequently, from 1907 to 1914, the "Fronde" crossed the waters from Indochina, the Mekong delta in Lake Tonle Sap, Cambodia, patrolling along the coast, bringing supplies to the garrisons or providing hydrographic work. The First World War provides the "Fronde" during an appearance last notable. The ship, which is then integrated into the flotilla of destroyers cons of Saigon, in fact involved in an early naval battles of the war. The German cruiser "Emden", Wing German China, sailing in pirate since the beginning of hostilities. He has already sunk 22 boats of Commerce allies when he faced 28 October 1914, at the port of Penang in the Straits of Malacca, the Russian cruiser "Yemtchoug," the French aviso "Iberville" and cons destroyers "Musket", "Gun" and "Sling". This is in port, disassembled. The "Emden", in the tradition of privateering vessels, has disguised his sillouhette Greant in a 4th false chimney on her deck to look like a British cruiser. It comes close to the Russian ship which, surprise, is taken under the German guns, broke in two and sank. Of the French ships, only the "Musket", back from patrol, could intervene. But despite its torpedoes that were supposed to give it supremacy over the heavier ships, it is quickly destroyed by the guns of the "Emden," which collects 46 survivors. 43 members of the crew, including the commander, were killed in action. The crew of the "Fronde" witnessing helplessly as the destruction of two ships. A ship's officer wrote: "And in all it was the same rage can do nothing. The unanimous feeling was like to go through the bottom it was nothing, but go there without even being able to shoot a gun, without a fight, suffer the slaughter without resistance which we had to have poor performance for our Russian friends, it seemed too hard. "
In March 1915, the destroyer cons "Fronde" in the Mediterranean and back to patrol until the end of the war. The ship was decommissioned 30 October 1919 and her hull was sold to Toulon May 6, 1920. This time, the "Fronde" finally completed his naval career, which already had almost ended September 18, 1906, at the bottom of the port of Hong Kong ... CR.
Source: Archives of Historical Service Defence / Marine: navigation logs and correspondence of the commanders, Toulon and Vincennes "La Revue Maritime, September 1951; http://pages14-18.mesdiscussions.net/; Paul Chack, Claude Farrere "Fights and battles at sea", Flammarion, 1928. Credits: Historical Service Defense / Navy / Vincennes HKMM. 
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