French frigate Auvergne

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Auvergne in the Persian Gulf on 19 September 2017
History
France
NameAuvergne
NamesakeAuvergne
BuilderDCNS, Lorient
Laid downAugust 2012
Launched2 September 2015
Completed11 April 2017
Commissioned14 February 2018
HomeportBrest[1][2]
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeAquitaine-class frigate
Displacement6,000 tons
Length466 ft (142.0 m)
Beam65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph); max cruise speed 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph)
Range6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement145
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × NH90 helicopter
Aviation facilitiesSingle hangar

Auvergne (D654) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.

Development and design[edit]

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.[5] 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).[6] The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs.[6] In 2015, the total number of ASW variants was further reduced to just six units, including Auvergne.

Construction and career[edit]

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. The frigate Auvergne was launched on 2 September 2015 and commissioned in 2018.

In late 2021/early 2022, just prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the frigate deployed to the Black Sea for exercises with the Bulgarian and other NATO navies.[7] The frigate departed the Black Sea prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

She was initially home ported at Toulon, but transferred to the naval base at Brest in December 2022.[8][9][10]

Views of Auvergne

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to D654 Auvergne (ship, 2015).
  1. ^ "La frégate Auvergne a rallié Brest | Mer et Marine". 19 December 2022.
  2. ^ "La Marine nationale va doubler le nombre de frégates basées à Brest | Mer et Marine". 8 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Photos: Naval Group Launches 'Lorraine', its Final FREMM Frigate". 13 November 2020.
  4. ^ "First Exocet MM40 Block 3c Missiles set for December Delivery". 17 October 2022.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "French frigate Auvergne conducts drills with Bulgarian frigate Drazki in Black Sea".
  8. ^ "La FREMM Auvergne en route pour sa nouvelle base de Brest | Mer et Marine". 5 December 2022.
  9. ^ "La Marine nationale va doubler le nombre de frégates basées à Brest | Mer et Marine". 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ "La FREMM Auvergne rejoindra sa nouvelle base de Brest en novembre | Mer et Marine". 8 July 2022.
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