Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime

Patrol boat Huveaune (P619) in the old harbour of Marseille.
Class overview
Name	Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime
Operators	France (Gendarmerie maritime), 24 units Senegal (customs), 2 units Morocco (Navy), 2 units South Africa (South African Police Service), 2 units
Subclasses	RPB 20 for export
In commission	11 June 2003
Completed	30
General characteristics
Type	Swift boat
Displacement	31 to 41 tonnes
Length	20 metres
Beam	5.29 metres
Draught	2.89 metres
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h)
Range	500 nautical miles (1,000 km)
Endurance	4 days
Boats & landing craft carried	Tender One 490 boat, by Raidco marine
Complement	8
Sensors and processing systems	Radar
Armament	Light infantry weapons, FM AANF1
Armour	Bridge

The Vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM, "coastal boats for sea surveillance") are swift craft of the French Gendarmerie maritime. 24 boats of the type have been commissioned. They are based in various harbours of France, and are used for coast guard duties ranging from rescue to military tasks, including monitoring of pollution, sea police, and interception of illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.

The VCSM carry a custom-designed rigid-hull tender in a well deck. This deck can be converted into a helicopter airlift zone.

The boats do not carry heavy armament, but light machine guns can be installed when needed. In addition, infantry small arms are carried by the crew.

Ships in Gendarmerie maritime service[]

The ships in Gendarmerie maritime service are named for rivers of the harbours in which they are based

• P601 Élorn (Concarneau)
• P602 Verdon (La Réunion)
• P603 Adour (Anglet)
• P604 Scarpe (Boulogne-sur-Mer)
• P605 Vertonne (Sables d'Olonne)
• P606 Dumbea (Nouméa)
• P607 Yser (Dieppe)
• P608 Argens (Saint Raphaël)
• P609 Hérault (Sète)
• P610 Gravona (Ajaccio)
• P611 Odet (Mayotte)
• P612 Maury (Gruissan)
• P613 Charente (Rochefort)
• P614 Tech (Port Vendres)
• P615 Penfeld (Brest)
• P616 Trieux (Saint Malo)
• P617 Vésubie (Nice)
• P618 Escaut (Dunkerque)
• P619 Huveaune (Marseille)
• P620 Sèvre (Pornichet)
• P621 Aber-Wrach (Brest)
• P622 Esteron (Le Havre)
• P623 Mahury (Cayenne)
• P624 Organabo (Kourou)

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime.

• (in French) Les vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM), netmarine.net
• Also sold to Senegal (Sangomar & Djiferre) and Mauritania (Megsem Bakkar & Oum Tounsi).