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Submarine Chaser Photo Archive

PC-1610


PC-1610 was built in France.
PC-1604 Class Submarine Chaser:

  • Laid down as PC-1610 by Societe Anonyme des Amiens Chantiers, Dubigeon, France for the French Navy using "offshore" funds
  • Launched 31 May 1954
  • Delivered 21 July 1955
  • Commissioned Le Fougueux (P 641)
  • Served in the Algerian war in the late 1950s
  • Decommissioned in July 1975
  • Sold for scrap in 1978 to The Netherlands
  • Sold the same year to the Boy Scouts as a base for there small sailing boats, first as a stationary base but after 7 years of hard work, it was sailing on her own power again and reclassified as PW-641
  • Sold in 2001 to the Le Fougueux foundation
  • Sailed on it own power to H. I. Ambacht (near Dordrecht, The Netherlands) for restoration
  • Reclassified back to P-641 (See www.P641.com for more photo's and films)
  • Le Fougueux is the last WW II type submarine chaser in existance.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 402 t.
  • Length 173' 8"
  • Beam 23'
  • Draft 10' 10"
  • Speed 18.7 kts.
  • Complement 63
  • Armament: Two 40mm mount and two 20mm mounts
    Between 1959 and 1962 she was armed with a Mk15 Hedgehog rocket launcher, four depth charge projectors and two depth charge tracks
  • Propulsion: Four 810hp direct-reversible SEMT-Pielstick 14-cylinder diesel engines (two engines removed during scrapping), two 60kw General Motors auxiliary generator sets, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    P-641 62k Builder's trials. Peter Bethlem
    P-641 90k
    PC-1610 101k Photo by Marine Nationale Robert Hurst
    P-641 51k c. 1955
    In service with the French Navy    		 Peter Bethlem
    PC-1610 47k c. 1956
    Courtesy of M. Henri Le Masson from the 1956/1957 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships    		 Robert Hurst
    PC-1610 81k c. 1957
    Brest, France
    Le Fougueux outboard of an unidentified U.S. Navy PC and Bisson (F 737)
    Photo from French PC website
    PC-1610 72k c. 1968
    Cherbourg, France
    Courtesy of Paul Goffeny
    PW-641 90k c. 1990
    In the North Sea near Ijmuiden, Holland    		 Peter Bethlem
    PW-641 61k c. 2000. Ijmuiden, Holland
    Boy Scout's receiving their new ship, the former Dutch minesweeper Naaldwijk (M 809), ex-MSC-175, ex-AMS-175
    PW-641 120k c. May 2002. Alblasserdam, Holland
    The day before dry docking
    PW-641 95k c. May 2002. Alblasserdam, Holland
    On the slip way
    PW-641 80k
    PW-641 81k Engineroom view showing the gearboxes in front of the two rear main engines
    PC-1610 87k Photo from French PC website Robert Hurst
    There is no DANFS history available for PC-1610
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Patrol Craft Sailors Association
    Le Fougueux (P 641) Website
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Ship Type Index Back to the Submarine Chaser (PC) Photo Index
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History