French destroyer Jaguar

Jaguar, named after the eponymous feline, was ordered on 18 April 1922 from the Arsenal de Lorient. She was laid down on 24 August 1922 on No. 7 slipway, launched on 17 November 1923, completed on 7 October 1926 and entered service on 19 November. Completion was delayed by problems with her propulsion machinery and late deliveries by sub-contractors. Even before she was formally completed, she participated in a Baltic cruise in mid-1926 and visited Dakar, French West Africa in December. She made another port visit in April 1927 at Seville, Spain. The following month she was one of the ships that escorted Gaston Doumergue, President of France, across the English Channel during his state visit to Britain. Jaguar then accompanied the light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet as she visited Dakar and Buenos Aires, Argentina between June and September. The ship became the flagship of the Group of Torpedo Boat Flotillas (later redesignated as the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla) of the 1st Squadron (1ere Escadre), based at Toulon, on 1 May 1928. Two months later, she hosted Doumerge as he reviewed the fleet off Le Havre on 3 July.^[5]

Two years later, the ship participated in the naval review at Algiers on 10 May 1930 commemorating the centenary of the first French landing in Algeria on 13 June 1830. The four depth charge throwers were removed in 1932. About two years later, the 75-millimeter guns were replaced by four twin mounts for 13.2-millimeter (0.5 in) anti-aircraft machineguns. Jaguar became the flagship of the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla of the 2nd Squadron (2e Escadre) at Brest on 5 July 1935. After completing their maneuvers, the combined Brest and Toulon squadrons, including Jaguar, were reviewed in the Baie de Douarnenez by the Naval Minister, François Piétri, on 27 June 1936. The following year, the ship participated in the fleet review by the new Navy Minister, Alphonse Gasnier-Duparc, off Brest on 27 May 1937. The ship was relieved as flagship on 26 September, but temporarily resumed her former role from 1 March to 22 June 1939 while Bison was under repair after a collision.^[6]

When the war started in September 1939, Jaguar belonged to the 2nd Large Destroyer Division (2e division de contre-torpilleur) (DCT) with her sisters Chacal and Léopard. Between October and December, the ship had two depth-charge throwers reinstalled, No. 3 gun removed, and her depth charge stowage reduced to a dozen 200 kg and eight 100 kg depth charges to improve her stability. She was assigned to the Western Command (Forces maritimes de l'Ouest) for convoy escort duties from October to January 1940 where she guarded convoys traveling between Gibraltar and Brest as well as Casablanca, French Morocco, and Le Verdon-sur-Mer. On the night of 16/17 January 1940, Jaguar was accidentally rammed by the British destroyer Keppel. The collision killed one crewman aboard the French ship and Keppel's bow penetrated all the way to Jaguar's midline. The ship was able to reach Brest on 19 January to begin repairs that lasted until early May. She had a British Type 123 ASDIC installed in March and was fitted with degaussing equipment the following month.^[7]

After the beginning of the Battle of France on 10 May, the 2nd DCT was transferred to the English Channel to support British forces there. On 23 May, entering Dunkirk harbor with a demolition team aboard, Jaguar was struck by a torpedo fired by either the E-boat S-21 or S-23. The detonation killed 13 men and wounded 23; the ship had to be beached at Malo-les-Bains lest she sink, and was written off.^[8]

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.