Duquesne was a of the French Navy. She was designed to protect a fleet against air threats, surface ships, submarines, and, to a lesser extent, provide firepower against land objectives. She is the sister ship of . She is the eighth French vessel named after the 17th century admiral Abraham Duquesne. Duquesne was decommissioned in 2008. Background and description Ships of the Suffren class were designed as anti-air and anti-submarine escorts for the s and were similar in concept to the British Type 82 destroyer. They were ordered in 1960 as part of France's new naval policy of deterrence/intervention/defence following the election of Charles de Gaulle as president of France. The French designation for the class was frégates lance-engins (FLE 60). They were designated as frigates by the French Navy but were considered destroyers by publications. They were later re-designated frégates lance-missiles (FLM 60). The vessel measured long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam and a maximum draught of . The ship had a standard displacement of and at full load. By 1990 the ship had a standard displacement of and at full load. Duquesne was powered by four multi-tube, automatic control boilers creating steam for two sets of Rateau double-reduction geared turbines turning two propellers. They were rated at . They created a total of 3,440 kW of electrical power through two 1,000 kW turbochargers and three 480 kW diesel alternators. Duquesne had a maximum speed of and a range of at . The frigate had a complement of 355 sailors including 23 officers. For increased stabilisation as a weapons platform, the frigate was outfitted with three pairs of non-retractable fin stabilisers. Ships of the Suffren class were considered extremely seaworthy vessels. The Suffren class were armed with a twin launcher situated on the quarterdeck for the Masurca surface-to-air missile. 48 missiles were carried. The frigates were also equipped with two single-mounted Modèle 1953 naval guns in positions 'A' and 'B' along the centreline. These were later upgraded to the Modèle 1964. The frigates also mounted a Malafon anti-submarine missile system. Each ship carried 13 missiles and the magazine was situated in the aft deckhouse. Furthermore, the Suffren class had four launchers for L5 torpedoes, two to each side of the ship, housed in the deckhouse between the mast and the bridge. Each ship carried ten torpedoes. They were the first French warships to deploy torpedoes using fixed