French frigate Auvergne
Auvergne in the Persian Gulf on 19 September 2017
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History | |
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France | |
Name | Auvergne |
Namesake | Auvergne |
Builder | DCNS, Lorient |
Laid down | August 2012 |
Launched | 2 September 2015 |
Completed | 11 April 2017 |
Commissioned | 14 February 2018 |
Homeport | Toulon (transferring to Brest in 2022)[1] |
Identification |
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Status | Active |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Aquitaine-class frigate |
Displacement | 6,000 tons |
Length | 466 ft (142.0 m) |
Beam | 65 ft (19.8 m) |
Draught | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph); max cruise speed 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) |
Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 145 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 1 × NH90 helicopter |
Aviation facilities | Single hangar |
Auvergne (D654) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.[citation needed]
Development and design[]
Original plans were for 17 FREMM to replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the Tourville and Georges Leygues classes. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).
Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals.[3] Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion).[4] The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs.[4]
Construction and career[]
Auvergne was developed as part of a joint Italian-French program known as FREMM, which was implemented to develop a new class of frigates for use by various European navies. Constructed from 2012. On 2 September 2015, the frigate Auvergne was launched.
Auvergne at Fremantle on 18 November 2017.
USS Nimitz and the frigates Jean Bart and Auvergne on 19 September 2017.
NHIndustries NH90 helicopter of the French Naval Aviation landing on Auvergne.
References[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to D654 Auvergne (ship, 2015). |
- ^ https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/fremm-alsace-arrivee-toulon
- ^ https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/11/photos-naval-group-launches-lorraine-its-final-fremm-frigate/
- ^ "FREMM : Supprimer des frégates, un non sens économique et stratégique?". Mer et Marine (in French). 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces" (in French). Senate of France. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- 2015 ships
- Aquitaine-class frigates
- Ships built in France