Why the Bourrasque class's ordinary utility mattered

French doctrine paired large contre-torpilleurs with smaller torpilleurs d'escadre, while avisos covered duties comparable to British sloops. The twelve Bourrasque-class ships supplied dependable fleet-destroyer numbers at roughly 1,300 tons standard displacement. Their balance of qualities included 33-knot speed, about 2,000 nautical miles of range at 14 knots, four 5-inch guns, and six torpedoes. Fleets needed ships that could perform ordinary escort and fleet duties alongside designs built for exceptional performance. The Polish Wicher class drew on the same basic design. Comparison with the Royal Navy's W class supports the preference for a proven balance of qualities, with reservations about the choice of 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns.