De Grasse is a Tourville-class guided-missile frigate built for the French Marine Nationale during the Cold War era, primarily designed as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) escort for convoys. Constructed at the Arsenal de Rochefort, she was laid down on June 14, 1972, launched on November 30, 1974, and commissioned into service on October 1, 1977. The vessel measures 152.8 meters (501 ft 4 in) in length, with a beam of 15.3 meters (50 ft 2 in) and a draught of 5.7 meters (18 ft 8 in). Her standard displacement is approximately 4,580 tonnes, increasing to 5,745 tonnes at full load. Propulsion is provided by two geared steam turbines, each producing 54,400 shaft horsepower, driving two propeller shafts. This configuration enables De Grasse to reach a maximum speed of 32 knots and to operate over a range of 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. Her crew consists of 292 sailors, including 17 officers. Armament includes six MM38 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers positioned aft of the bridge, with three on each broadside. She was originally equipped with three 100-mm (3.9 in) Modèle 1968 guns, arranged with one superfiring pair forward and a third aft, but the aft gun was removed during construction in anticipation of installing a Crotale anti-aircraft missile system. Additionally, De Grasse is armed with two 20 mm guns and had ASW weapons such as a Malafon missile launcher, capable of carrying 13 missiles, as well as two torpedo launchers for L5 torpedoes, each holding ten torpedoes. De Grasse is notable for being one of the first French ships of destroyer size designed to carry helicopters, with a double hangar at the stern housing two Lynx ASW helicopters. Sensor systems include search, fire-control, and early-warning radars, complemented by hull-mounted and towed variable-depth sonars for submarine detection. Electronic warfare capabilities are provided by Syllex chaff launchers, and her tactical data is managed by the SENIT 3 system. Between 1994 and 1996, De Grasse was refitted with the modern SLASM anti-submarine system, featuring an active Very Low Frequency sonar, enhancing her ASW capabilities and maintaining her operational relevance during the post-Cold War period.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.