French Destroyers Aid In Mediterranean

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1943, Page 3

French Destroyers Aid In Mediterranean

(8.0. W., 1 p.m.) RUGBY, August 24. British and American light naval forces are engaged in normal sweeps oft the coast of the Calabria Peninsula, states a North African naval communique. It announces also that the French heavy destrovors. Le Fantasque and Le Terrible, arc now working in active co-operation with the Allied naval forces in the Mediterranean. The communique adds that in a recent message to the American naval and military forces concerned. Admiral oi the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham mentioned the admiration with which he had watched the splendid and rapid advance of the Seventh Army to Messina during the Sicilian campaign, and said that he was fully aware of the great contribution to success of the American navy. He asks that his satisfaction might be expressed to all American naval personnel on the north coast of Sicily on what became a model of effective application of sea power in support of land operations. The French destroyers Fantasque and Terrible are two of French ships in French African ports which came over to the Allies when the Allied forces landed in North-west Africa last October. Both vessels, which belong to the Fantasque class, have a displacement of 2569 tdns. Thev are probably the fastest destroyers in the world, all vessels of that class having a speed exceeding 43 knots. The French claim that the Terrible reached a record speed of 45.25 knots. The Fantasque and Terrible were accompanied by the French battleship Richelieu to New York to be made ready for fighting.