Maritime Gendarmerie

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Maritime Gendarmerie
Gendarmerie maritime
Embleme de la Gendarmerie Maritime.svg
Agency overview
Formed1832 – present [1] [2]
Employees1,157
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction France
General nature
Specialist jurisdiction
  • Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.
Operational structure
Parent agency National Gendarmerie

The Maritime Gendarmerie (French : Gendarmerie maritime) is a component of the French National Gendarmerie under operational control of the chief of staff of the French Navy. It employs 1,157 personnel and operates around thirty patrol boats and high-speed motorboats distributed on the littoral waterways of France. [3] Like their land-based colleagues the Gendarmes Maritime are military personnel who carry out policing operations in addition to their primary role as a coast guard service. They also carry out provost duties within the French Navy.

Contents

The uniforms and insignia of the Gendarmerie Maritime are very similar to those of the French Navy, but the ranks used are those of the rest of the Gendarmerie (which are the same as the traditional ranks of the French Cavalry).

Mission

The mission of the Maritime Gendarmerie is as follows: [4]

Organisation

The Maritime Gendarmerie is commanded by a colonel who is assisted by a staff located in Paris. The coastguard is divided into 3 groupings, 7 companies and 64 units (brigades of research, brigades of monitoring of the littoral, group of safety of the protected zones, group of monitoring of intervention and reinforcement, patrol craft, coastal high-speed motorboats of maritime surveillance) whose geographical distribution is as follows: [3]

Personnel

Two members of the Maritime Gendarmerie in a rubber boat. Tonnerres de Brest 2012 - Gendarmerie maritime - 001.jpg
Two members of the Maritime Gendarmerie in a rubber boat.

Commissioned officers are recruited from holders of a master's degree; non-commissioned officers from holders of a high school diploma giving access to university studies; auxiliary gendarmes are recruited without any specific educational prerequisite. Members of the maritime gendarmerie are recruited among officers, nco's and auxiliary gendarmes with a few years of general gendarmerie service. Certificate of competency for sea or inland water navigation and training in scuba diving is a merit for those who wants to join. Within the maritime gendarmerie there exists further specializations such as coxswain, mechanic, diver, underwater investigation technician, maritime and port security operative and watch-keeping officer. [8] [9] [10]

Officers
Rank insignia OF1-LTN Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OF2-CNE Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OF3-CEN Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OF4-LCL Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OF5-COL Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OF6-GBR Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg
Rank Lieutenant Capitaine Chef d'Escadron Lieutenant-colonel Colonel Général de brigade
Non-commissioned officers
Rank insignia OR5-GND SOC Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR6-MDC Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR8-ADJ Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR9-ADC Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR9-MAJ Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg
Rank Gendarme Maréchal des logis Chef Adjudant Adjudant-chef Major
Auxiliary gendarmes
Rank insignia OR1-GAV Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR2-GA1 Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR3-BRI Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR4-BRC Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg OR5-MDL Rank French Maritime Gendarmerie.svg
Rank Gendarme Adjoint de 2e classe Gendarme Adjoint de 1er classe Brigadier Brigadier-chef Maréchal des logis

Patrol boats

ClassPictureTypeBoatDisplacementNote
Maroni classPatrol boatP692 Maroni
P693 Oyapock
P694 Aber Ildut		72.5 tonnesBased in English Channel/North Sea region: Cherbourg, Dunkirk and Boulogne-sur-Mer [11]
PM32 01.JPG Patrol boatP719 Armoise76 tonnesFormer Directorate for Maritime Affairs vessel based in Cherbourg pending arrival of PCG-NG boats starting late 2024 [12] [13]
PCG-NG classPatrol boatP727 Rozel (projected 2025)350 tonnesSix vessels planned for delivery from 2025; Initially to replace Armoise as well as Géranium and Jonquille classes [14] [15]
Géranium class Patrouilleur Geranium Gendarmerie maritime.jpg Patrol boatP720 Géranium
P722 Violette		100 tonnesP720 based in Lorient; [16] P722 in Guadeloupe [17]
Jonquille classPatrol boatP721 Jonquille
P723 Jasmin		98 tonnesP721 based in Toulon; [18] P723 in Papeete [19]
Elorn class Patrouilleur Gendarmerie Maritime.jpg Patrol boatP601 Elorn
P602 Verdon
P603 Adour
P604 Scarpe
P605 Vertonne
P606 Dumbéa
P607 Yser
P608 Argens
P609 Hérault
P610 Gravona
P611 Odet
P612 Maury
P613 Charente
P614 Tech
P615 Penfeld
P616 Trieux
P617 Vésubie
P618 Escaut
P619 Huveaune
P620 Sèvre
P621 Aber Wrac'h
P622 Esteron
P623 Mahury
P624 Organabo		41 tonnesAs of 2023: 11 units reported based in the Atlantic/English Channel/North Sea region; 7 in the Mediterranean; 2 in French Guiana; 2 in Mayotte; 1 in New Caledonia (1 - P623 - reported unserviceable as of late 2022) [20] [21] [22]
Pavois classPatrol boatP692 Pavois
P693 Ecu
P964 Rondache
P695 Harnois
P696 Haubert
P697 Heaume
P698 Brigantine
P699 Gantelet		10.2 tonnesAll boats in service since 2011; reported based in: Le Havre (2 units), Port de Bouc (2 units), Marseilles, Cherbourg, Brest and Toulon [23]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "La gendarmerie maritime". Net-Marine (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  2. ↑ Le lieutenant-colonel Ebel. "La gendarmerie de la restauration au second empire". La société nationale de l’histoire et du patrimoine de la gendarmerie - société des amis du musée de la gendarmerie (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 "La gendarmerie maritime". Ministry of Defense. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  4. ↑ "La gendarmerie maritime" (in French). Ministry of Interior . Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Un nouveau commandant pour le "La Violette", un navire indispensable à la lutte contre la drogue en Guadeloupe".
  6. ↑ "La Réunion : La base navale vue du ciel | Mer et Marine". 19 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Marine Nationale Dossier d'Information, pp. 19 and 23" (PDF). Cols Bleus (in French). January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  8. ↑ "Gendarme en unité nautique et maritime." La gendarmerie recrute. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ "La gendarmerie maritime : gendarmerie spécialisée entre terre et mer." Gendinfo. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Pelotons de sûreté maritime et portuaire : intervention renforcée." Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ "The French Navy receives the first two new generation maritime surveillance coastal patrol boats". 28 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "Défense. Cherbourg : après 40 ans de services, ces deux patrouilleurs quittent la base navale; La Presse de la Manche". 10 December 2022.
  13. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (24 February 2023). "Gendarmerie maritime : le patrouilleur Armoise rejoint enfin Cherbourg; Mer et Marine".
  14. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (2 October 2024). "Socarenam : le premier des nouveaux patrouilleurs de la Gendarmerie maritime en achèvement à flot". Mer et Marine.
  15. ↑ "Six nouveaux patrouilleurs côtiers pour la Gendarmerie maritime".
  16. ↑ Jaouen, Catherine (20 September 2021). "Lorient. Un nouveau pacha pour le patrouilleur Géranium". ouestfrance (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  17. ↑ "La "Violette" des Forces Armées aux Antilles à la Renconte de Guirec Soudée". Le Journal de Saint-Barth (in French). 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  18. ↑ "Zoom sur une petite " marée " de la Jonquille". Les Amis de la Gendarmerie (in French). 18 August 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  19. ↑ "Le Jasmin sera remplacé en 2024". Direction Polynésienne des Affaires Maritimes (in French). 12 June 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  20. ↑ "Marine Nationale Dossier d'Information, pp. 19 and 23" (PDF). Cols Bleus (in French). January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  21. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (5 December 2022). "Le Marfret Niolon emmène une vedette de la Gendarmerie maritime en Guyane". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "La gendarmerie maritime monte à bord de nouvelles vedettes". Ministère de l'Intéreiur et des outre-mer (in French). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "Les vedettes de surveillance maritime et portuaire (VSMP)". netmarine.net.
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