Pique
History
France
Name	Pique
Namesake	Pike
Ordered	27 October 1897
Builder	Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Le Havre-Graville
Laid down	October 1897
Launched	31 March 1900
Commissioned	May 1901
Stricken	28 January 1921
Fate	Sold for scrap, 28 July 1921
General characteristics
Class and type	Framée-class destroyer
Displacement	319 t (314 long tons)
Length	58.2 m (190 ft 11 in) o/a
Beam	6.31 m (20 ft 8 in)
Draft	3.02 m (9 ft 11 in)
Installed power	4 Normand boilers 5,200 ihp (3,900 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	1,541 nmi (2,854 km; 1,773 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	4 officers, 57 enlisted men
Armament	1 × single 65 mm (2.6 in) gun 6 × single 47 mm (1.9 in) guns 2 × single 381 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes

Pique was one of four Framée-class destroyers built for the French Navy around the beginning of the 20th century. During the First World War, the ship saw service in the Mediterranean Sea and survived the war to be stricken from the naval register on 28 January 1921.

The Framées used the same hull design as the preceding Durandal class, but had a more powerful propulsion plant. The ships had an overall length of 58.2 meters (190 ft 11 in), a beam of 6.31 meters (20 ft 8 in), and a maximum draft of 3.02 meters (9 ft 11 in). They displaced 319 metric tons (314 long tons) at normal load. They were powered by a pair of triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by four Normand boilers. The engines were designed to produce a total of 5,200 indicated horsepower (3,878 kW) to give the ships a speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph). During her sea trials on 1 February 1901, Pique only reached 25.9 knots (48.0 km/h; 29.8 mph) from 5,441 ihp (4,057 kW), the only ship of her class that failed to reach her designed speed. The ships carried enough coal to give them a range of 1,541 nautical miles (2,854 km; 1,773 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). Their complement consisted of 4 officers and 57 enlisted men.^[1]

The Framée-class ships were armed with a single 65-millimeter (2.6 in) gun forward of the bridge and six 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns, three on each broadside. They were fitted with two single rotating 381-millimeter (15 in) torpedo tubes, one between the funnels and the other on the stern.^[2]

Pique (Pike) was ordered from Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée on 27 October 1897 and the ship was laid down in October at its shipyard in Le Havre-Granville.^[1] She was launched on 31 March 1900 and conducted her trials beginning in July 1900. They were not finished until May 1901 and Pique was commissioned that same month.^[1] The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron (Escadre de la Méditerranée), but was transferred to the Local Defense Force (Défense mobile) in French Algeria in June 1903. She was reduced to reserve in 1909–1910 and had been transferred to Bizerte, French Tunisia, in March 1910.^[3]

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• Jordan, John & Caresse, Philippe (2017). French Battleships of World War One. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-639-1.
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