Le Hardi

History: The Le Hardi class was a group of twelve destroyers (torpilleurs) built for the French Navy during the late 1930s. Eight ships were commissioned in 1940, with four ships never finished. They were the lighter counterparts to the very fast larger destroyers of the Mogador class, and the successors of L'Adroit class.

The ships of the Le Hardi class were significantly heavier than the L'Adroits, carrying two additional 130 mm guns in enclosed turrets and an extra torpedo tube. They were also 4 knots faster, being designed to operate with the new French fast battleships Dunkerque and Strasbourg.

Some of the eight ships of the class were renamed in 1941, taking the names of destroyers previously sunk during the war.

Type: Destroyer

Primary Country: France is one of Europe’s largest countries. It is bordered by six countries other nations: Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the southeast and Spain to the southwest. The United Kingdom borders France via the English Channel. The country is considered to be the gateway to Europe as there are several large international airports (two of these can be found in Paris), ferry terminals and the French rail service.

In 486, Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship. In 843, Western Francia was established from the division of the Carolingian Empire. In 1789, the French monarchy was overthrown, and in 1792, the First French Republic was founded. In 1958, the Fifth French Republic was established.