French frigate Guépratte

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History
France
NameGuépratte
NamesakeAdmiral Émile Paul Amable Guépratte
Laid down1 October 1998
Launched3 March 1999
Commissioned27 October 2001
HomeportToulon
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class and typeLa Fayette-class frigate
Displacement3200 tonnes, 3600 tonnes fully loaded
Length125 m (410 ft)
Beam15.4 m (51 ft)
Draught4.8 m (16 ft)
Propulsion4 diesel SEMT Pielstick 12PA6V280 STC2, 21000 hp (15 400 kW)
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)
Range7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h), 9000 at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement164+[1]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × Air/Surface DRBV 15C sentry radar
  • 1 × firing control radar for the 100 mm gun
  • 1 × DRBN34 navigation radar
  • 1 × DRBN34 landing radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 1 × Saïgon ARBG 1 radio interceptor
  • 1 × ARBR 21 radar interceptor
  • 2 × Dagaie Mk2 chaff launcher
  • 1 × AN/SLQ-25 Nixie tugged noise maker
  • 1 × Prairie-Masker noise reduction system
  • 1 × Syracuse II
  • 1 × Inmarsat
Armament
ArmourOn sensitive areas (munition magazine and control centre)
Aircraft carried1 × helicopter (Panther or NH90)

Guépratte is a general purpose La Fayette-class frigate of the French Marine Nationale. She is the second French vessel named after the 19–20th century admiral Émile Paul Amable Guépratte. The ship was commissioned in 2001 and is currently in service. She is scheduled to remain in service until 2031.[2]

Service history[edit]

Guépratte at Toulon

She is the only frigate of the La Fayette class whose complement includes women, with 25 female crewmen on board. In January 2016, the first female commander of a frigate in the Marine Nationale was appointed to command Guépratte.[3]

In 2016, Guépratte deployed as part of the Jeanne d'Arc battle group which included the amphibious assault ship Tonnerre.[4]

In early 2022, Guépratte was deployed in the Indian Ocean but was expected to return to France in May after being relieved by her sister ship Surcouf.[5] Guépratte was again in the Arabian Sea in late 2022, operating with Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, when it seized large quantities of hashish and heroin from a fishing vessel.[6] In early 2023, it was believed that Guépratte was involved in the boarding and seizure of an Iranian vessel reported to be carrying thousands of assault rifles and anti-tank missiles destined for Yemen.[7] The frigate returned to her home port at Toulon in March 2023.[8]

In 2024, Guépratte was tasked to escort the helicopter assault ship Tonnerre on a prolonged deployment circumventing South America and also visiting North America.[9]

Unlike other frigates of her class, it is not planned that she will incorporate a hull-mounted sonar system as part of her future sensor fit and therefore her potential anti-submarine capability is limited to that which might be provided by her shipborne helicopter.[10] Guépratte is scheduled to undergo a modest structural and technical upgrade (with the elderly Crotale SAM to be removed from the vessel) and, given somewhat reduced general purpose capability, was to have been re-assigned to offshore patrol duties prior to her planned withdrawal from service in 2031.[11] However, subsequently it was decided to retain the ship in the frigate role despite her not having received a mid-life upgrade.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "La Fayette Class Frigate". Naval Technology. 3 May 2001.
  2. ^ "Marine nationale : les programmes qui vont façonner la future flotte française". Mer et Marine (in French). 1 February 2021.
  3. ^ "French Navy Appointed the First Female Officer to Command a Frigate". navy-recognition.com. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Les VHM de l'armée de Terre déployés pour la première fois sur BPC". meretmarine (in French). 9 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ^ "La frégate Surcouf part pour un déploiement de longue durée dans le GAP". Mer et Marine (in French). 21 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  6. ^ "French Warship Seizes Illegal Drugs In North Arabian Sea". NavalNews. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ^ "France Navy's La Fayette class frigate seizes thousands of Iranian rifles". Navy Recognition. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  8. ^ "FFEAU – La FLF Guépratte de retour à Toulon après trois mois de mission en océan Indien". Ministère des Armées. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  9. ^ Lagneau, Laurent (8 February 2024). "Marine nationale : La mission Jeanne d'Arc 2024 va mettre le cap vers les Amériques". zone militaire (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Euronaval: Naval Group Starts Upgrade Work on la Fayette-class frigates". 23 October 2020.
  11. ^ Groizealeau, Vincent (21 October 2021). "Rénovation des La Fayette : la première frégate livrée, la seconde en chantier". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  12. ^ Groizealeau, Vincent (17 April 2024). "Le reclassement de certaines La Fayette en patrouilleurs n'est plus à l'ordre du jour". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 17 April 2024.
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