French aviso Commandant Bouan

Commandant Bouan
History
France
Name	Commandant Bouan
Namesake	Jean Adolphe Roger Bouan
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient
Laid down	12 October 1981
Launched	23 May 1983
Commissioned	11 May 1984
Decommissioned	Expected, 2026
Homeport	Toulon
Identification	Callsign: FABO Pennant number: F797
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso
Displacement	1,100  t (1,100 long tons) standard 1,270 t (1,250 long tons) full load
Length	80 m (262 ft 6 in) oa 76 m (249 ft 4 in) pp
Beam	10.3 m (33 ft 10 in)
Draught	5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
Propulsion	2 SEMT Pielstick 12 PC 2 V400 diesel engines 8,900  kW (12,000  bhp), 2 shafts
Speed	23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph)
Range	4,500  nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	90
Sensors and processing systems	1 Air/surface DRBV 51A sentry radar 1 DRBC 32E fire control radar 1 Decca 1226 navigation radar 1 DUBA 25 hull sonar (removed when reclassified as an OPV)
Electronic warfare & decoys	1 ARBR 16 radar interceptor 2 Dagaie decoy launchers 1 SLQ-25 Nixie countermeasure system
Armament	2 Exocet MM38 SSMs (removed from French ships when reclassified as OPVs) [1] 1 × 100 mm CADAM gun turret with Najir fire control system and CMS LYNCEA 2 × 20 mm modèle F2 guns 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns 4 × L3 or L5 type torpedoes in four fixed catapults (removed from French ships when reclassified as OPVs) [1] 1 × sextuple Bofors 375 mm rocket launcher (removed from French ships when reclassified as OPVs) [1]

Commandant Bouan (F797) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. The ship is homeported in Toulon. ^[2]

Design

Main article: D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso

Crewed by 90 sailors, these vessels have the reputation of being among the most difficult in bad weather. Their high windage makes them particularly sensitive to pitch and roll as soon as the sea is formed.

Their armament, consequent for a vessel of this tonnage, allows them to manage a large spectrum of missions. During the Cold War, they were primarily used to patrol the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean in search of Soviet Navy submarines. Due to the poor performance of the hull sonar, as soon as an echo appeared, the reinforcement of an anti-submarine warfare frigate was necessary to chase it using its towed variable depth sonar. ^[3]

Their role as patrollers now consists mainly of patrols and assistance missions, as well as participation in UN missions (blockades, flag checks) or similar marine policing tasks (fight against drugs, extraction of nationals, fisheries control, etc.). The anti-ship missiles have been landed, but they carry several machine guns and machine guns, more suited to their new missions.

Its construction cost was estimated at 270,000,000 French francs. ^[4]

Construction and career

Commandant Bouan was laid down on 12 October 1981 at Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient. Launched on 23 May 1983 and commissioned on 11 May 1984.

On 15 July 2008, at 9:12 a.m., while she was preparing to leave the port of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) where he had spent three days on the occasion of the 14 July ceremonies, the ship collided with the quay at the level of its bow during its departure maneuver, a port pilot being on board and a tug hitched up. The damage consisted mainly of a sinking of the bow above the waterline, which was the subject of a makeshift repair by DCNS personnel, dispatched to the site. It delayed by 24 hours before reaching Toulon, its homport, where final repairs were carried out during the unavailability for maintenance, already scheduled for this ship in September and October 2008. ^[5]

In June 2021, Commandant Bouan participated in anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria.

In May 2022, the ship evaluated the SMDM (navy mini-drone system) over a four week period. It was subsequently indicated that she would be permanently equipped with the system in order to enhance her surveillance capabilities. ^{[2] [6]}

From May to September 2023, the ship underwent her last refit prior to her planned retirement and permitting her to remain in service until 2026. ^[7] She is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2026 and be replaced by one of a new class of ocean-going Patrol Vessels (the Patrouilleurs Hauturiers). ^[8]

Citations

1. "Patrouilleurs: Les avisos français sur tous les fronts" [Patrol ships: French Avisos on all fronts.] (in French). Association de Soutien à l'Armée Française. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
2. Groizeleau, Vincent (23 June 2022). "En attendant les POM, trois PHM déjà prêts à recevoir le système de mini-drones de la marine". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2022.
3. "Euronaval: First details of the Patrouilleurs Océanique (PO) platform unveiled". Naval News. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
4. Frémy, Dominique (1995). Quid 1996. p. 2036. ISBN   2-221-08055-6.
5. "L'aviso Commandant Bouan heurte le quai lors de son appareillage de Nice". www.corlobe.tk (in French). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
6. Vavasseur, Xavier (11 February 2021). "Airbus to Supply 'SMDM' Aliaca fixed-wing UAV to the French Navy". Naval News. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
7. Groizeleau, Vincent (22 September 2023). "Le patrouilleur Commandant Bouan termine son ultime arrêt technique majeur". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
8. Groizeleau, Vincent (6 May 2021). "La Marine nationale va rapidement désarmer ses derniers PHM" [The French Navy will quickly disarm its last PHM]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2021.