T 53-class destroyer

The T 53 class were the second group of destroyers built for the French Navy after World War II. These ships were a modified version of the T 47-class destroyers. The main difference with the preceding ships was the provision of improved air warning and tracking radars as well as an anti-submarine mortar. The ships were built between 1957 and 1958 and were decommissioned in the late 1970s or early 1980s. A single modified ship La Galissonnière was built as a trials ship for a new generation of French weapons. This ship was designated as the T 56 class.

Modifications
In 1972–73 two of the class were substantially modified:
 * Duperré was completely rearmed with a Model 1968 100 mm main gun, four Exocet MM38 missiles, two quadruple L5 torpedo launchers, and two 20 mm AA cannon. She was also fitted with a helipad to carry a Lynx WG13 helicopter.
 * Forbin had her forward 57 mm turret removed, and her aft 127 mm turret was replaced by a helipad. She was then principally used as a naval aviation training ship alongside the helicopter cruiser FRENCH CRUISER Jeanne d'Arc.

La Galissonnière
La Galissonnière differed slightly in specification from the rest of the class as she was built specifically to test the Malafon anti-submarine missile.
 * Length : 128 m
 * Beam : 12 m
 * Draught : 5 m
 * Complement: 272
 * 2 × Model 1953 100 mm guns (2×1)
 * 1 × Malafon anti-submarine missile launcher (13 missiles)
 * 6 × 550 mm torpedo tubes (2×3)
 * 1 × quadruple 305 mm anti-submarine mortar
 * 2 × 20 mm AA cannon
 * 1 × Alouette II or Alouette III helicopter