Béthune was an aviso of the Arras class, also known as the Amiens class, ordered by the French Navy at the end of the First World War. Designed as fast escorts, the ships had a primary armament of two guns and depth charges. Launched in 1921, the vessel was initially deployed to Toulon and, in 1923, joined the (Mediterranean Squadron). In 1925, the aviso served as part of a blockade of Morocco during the Rif War. The ship spent the remaining time supporting French interests in the area, including serving the forces in the Levant and visiting ports in the Mediterranean Sea, including Bastia, Beirut, Bizerte, Istanbul, Port Said. Béthune was sold to be broken up in 1934.
Design and development
Béthune was a member of the Arras or Amiens class, a class of thirty fast avisos or sloops, designed to serves as escort ships, ordered under the 1916 and 1917 French Navy construction plans. The ships were similar in layout to three-island merchant ships with a high bow, which meant that they sailed well in high seas, keeping their crew dry. They were considered roomy and comfortable ships, although the weight of their armament and superstructure meant that they rolled heavily. Béthune was the twenty-second member of the class.
The aviso had a length of between perpendiculars and overall, with a beam of and draught of . Normal displacement was . Power was provided by two Guyot du Temple water-tube boilers feeding two sets of Parsons geared steam turbines rated at, driving two shafts and exhausting through two funnels. Design speed was , and a total of of coal was carried, which gave a design range of at . The ship had a complement of four officers and 99 other crew.
Béthune had a main armament consisting of two single 55 calibre Modèle 1910 guns. Each could typically fire a shell at a rate of five or six rounds per minute. They were mounted on the centreline, one forward and the other aft of the superstructure. A steel shield was added to the guns in 1928. A single 62.5 calibre anti-aircraft gun and four 80 calibre Modèle 1914 Hotchkiss machine guns were also carried. The anti-aircraft gun was derived from a 1897 field gun and could typically fire a shrapnel shell at a rate of 20 rounds per minute. For anti-submarine warfare, the aviso was fitted with two throwers for twenty depth charges.
Construction and career Laid down by Chantiers et Ateliers de Provence in Port-de-Bouc in 1920, Béthune was launched in July 1921. The first ship of the name in the French fleet, after completing trials, the vessel joined the fleet at Toulon. Due to the aviso's reliance on coal rather than fuel oil, which was more difficult to obtain, Béthune was deployed against the Red Sea slave trade. On 27 November 1923, the vessel, alongside sister ships , and , joined the light cruiser as part of the revived (Mediterranean Squadron). The fleet was to serve between Alexandria and Mersin, although temporarily the squadron was sent to Istanbul. With Baccarat, Béthune was stationed at Beirut on 11 February 1924. The port was the centre for the French Navy's Levant operations, including resupply missions for French forces in the region, and the aviso supported the naval fleet operating from there. The ship served in Syria during much of the following month, returning to Beirut on 2 March.
After a visit to Port Said on 12 January 1925, the ship was in Piraeus on 17 March. During the Rif War, the success of the Riffian force under Abd el-Krim led to Spain agreeing with France on joint responsibility for the security of the coastline of their north African colonies. In particular, the countries were concerned about arms imports to the Riffian army. On 8 June, Béthune joined Liévin on the blockade of the northern coast. On 3 February the following year, the ship was in Bizerte, having called at Bastia on the way. Béthune was retired, in 1934, sold to be broken up.
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