Design
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 patrol 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.). Their anti-ship missiles have been landed, but they carry several machine guns more suited to their current missions.
The vessel's construction cost was estimated at 270,000,000 French francs. [4]
Construction and career
Commandant Ducuing was laid down on 1 October 1980 at Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient. Launched on 26 September 1981 and commissioned on 17 March 1983.
She took part in Opération Artimon in 1990. In April 2009 the aviso took part in Operation Tanit, an operation to free a French yacht that was hijacked by Somali pirates. [5] The aviso, sailing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, made a stopover on 8 and 9 June 2010 at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, which was a first for a French ship for 32 years. [6]
In June 2015, the ship was responsible for monitoring bluefin tuna fishing off Malta. [7]
In 2022, it was indicated that the ship would be equipped with the SMDM (navy mini-drone system) to enhance her surveillance capabilities. [2] In 2022–23, the ship deployed to the Gulf of Guinea for two months to assist local navies in countering, principally Chinese, illegal overfishing. [8]
She is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2025 and be replaced by one of a new class of ocean-going Patrol Vessels (the Patrouilleurs Hauturiers). [9]
Surcouf (F711) is a La Fayette-class frigate of the French Navy. Construction began at Lorient Naval Dockyard on 6 July 1992, launched 3 July 1993, and the ship was commissioned May 1996. Since entering service, Surcouf has taken part in numerous missions, notably in Operation Antilope, Operation Trident (Kosovo) and Mission Khor Anga in the Djibouti zone.
The D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos, also known as the A69 type avisos, is a class of French Navy avisos, comparable in size to a light corvette, mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions, notably in support missions with the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). Built on a simple and robust design, they have an economical and reliable propulsion system which allows them to be used for overseas presence missions. In addition to service in France, they have been ordered by the South African Navy, Argentinian Navy and Turkish Navy.
The French Navy's modernization, as is the case with the Army and Air and Space Force, is pursued on the basis of successive 7-year Military Planning Laws. The latest LPM covers the 2024-2030 period and is tailored around four strategic priorities: the strengthening of deterrence assets; preparation for high-intensity warfare; protecting national interests in all French territories, shared spaces and key domains ; and finally, the strengthening of international partnerships.
The Force d'action navale is the 9,600-man and about 100-ship force of surface warships of the French Navy. As of August 2023, it is commanded by L’amiral Nicolas Vaujour.
Drogou is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. She was transferred to the Turkish Navy as TCG Bodrum (F-501) and decommissioned in 2022.
Quartier-Maître Anquetil (F786) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. She was transferred to the Turkish Navy as TCG Bandırma (F-502).
Second-Maître Le Bihan (F788) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. She was transferred to the Turkish Navy as TCG Bafra (F-505).
D'Estienne d'Orves (F781) is the lead ship of the D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. She was transferred to the Turkish Navy as TCG Beykoz (F-503).
Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff (F789) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Lieutenant de vaisseau Lavallée (F790) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. The ship's name pays tribute to the resistance fighter shot in deportation in 1944.
Commandant L'Herminier (F791) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Premier-Maître L'Her (F792) was a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Commandant Blaison (F793) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet (F794) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Commandant Birot (F796) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Commandant Bouan (F797) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy. The ship is homeported in Toulon.
Détroyat (F784) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
Jean Moulin (F785) was a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
The Patrouilleurs Outre-mer (POM), or Félix Éboué class, are a class of offshore patrol vessels of the French Navy. They are to be based at Nouméa, Tahiti and La Réunion, replacing the P400-class patrol vessels all of which were withdrawn from service by 2023. At 1,300 tonnes, the POM class ships have four times the displacement of the P400 and possess a wider range of capabilities. The lead ship, Auguste Bénébig, was commissioned in May 2023, with delivery of all six units ordered expected by 2026.
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
France
