French ship Tonnerre (L9014)
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Tonnerre
| |
History | |
---|---|
France | |
Name | Tonnerre |
Namesake | "Thunder" |
Builder | Arsenal de Brest, Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire |
Laid down |
|
Launched | 26 July 2005 |
Commissioned | December 2006 |
Homeport | Toulon |
Identification |
|
Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Mistral-class amphibious assault ship |
Displacement |
|
Length | 199 m (653 ft) |
Beam | 32 m (105 ft) |
Draught | 6.3 m (21 ft) |
Propulsion | |
Speed | 18.8 kn (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph) |
Range |
|
Capacity | 2 barges, one Leclerc battalion, 70 vehicles |
Complement | 20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 Quarter-masters, 450 passengers (900 for a short cruise), 150 men for an onboard headquarters |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 16 heavy or 35 light helicopters |
Tonnerre (L9014; lit. Thunder) is an amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the Marine Nationale. She is the eighth vessel to bear the name and the second ship in the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship series.
Construction and career
Tonnerre was
Tonnerre's maiden voyage occurred between 10 April and 24 July 2007. During this voyage, Tonnerre was involved in
At the start of 2008, Tonnerre was involved in the Corymbe 92 mission (see Standing French Navy Deployments), a humanitarian mission in the Gulf of Guinea. During this deployment, Tonnerre acted on tip-offs from the European Maritime Analysis Operation Centre – Narcotics, and intercepted 5.7 tonnes (5.6 long tons; 6.3 short tons) of smuggled cocaine: 2.5 t (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons) from a fishing vessel 520 kilometres (280 nmi) from Monrovia on 29 January,[2] and 3.2 t (3.1 long tons; 3.5 short tons) from a cargo ship 300 kilometres (160 nmi) off Conakry.
In May 2011, the French Military deployed
In 2020, Tonnerre was deployed to Beirut, Lebanon, shortly after an ammonium nitrate explosion at the city's port killed roughly 200 people and caused significant destruction, including the loss of the nation's main grain elevator.[5][6] The ship arrived in Beirut on 13 August with "75,000 army rations, large quantities of flour, [and] medical supplies", as well as fire trucks and construction materials.[5] Around 350 personnel were to join the clean-up efforts around the port, which was expected to take weeks.[5]
In 2021, Tonnerre deployed to the Pacific accompanied by the frigate Surcouf,[7] to conduct the joint La Perouse naval exercise with the four Quadrilateral Security Dialogue members participating. From 18 November to 2 December 2021, Tonnerre took part in Exercise Polaris 21 in the western Mediterranean Sea.[8] In late 2022 she operated with the frigate Germinal in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea.[9]
In October 2023 Tonnerre was deployed as a hospital ship to the Eastern Mediterranean during the
In 2024, Tonnerre, accompanied by the frigate Guépratte, was tasked to undertake a prolonged deployment circumventing South America and also visiting North America. As part of her deployment, the ship was to embark 162 officer cadets and a French Army detachment including two Gazelle helicopters, two light (armoured) cavalry platoons, one section from the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment as well as other elements including some 40 vehicles among them the VBMR Griffon.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Mistral Class – Amphibious Assault, France". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- Stuff.co.nz. Reuters. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- ^ "Libya unrest: UK and France 'to send helicopters'". BBC News. 23 May 2011.
- ^ "NATO Uses Attack Helicopters for First Time in Libya". Fox News. 4 June 2011.
- ^ a b c "French defence minister visits Beirut to inspect military aid ship 'Thunder'". RFI. August 14, 2020.
- ^ Dahan, Ellen Francis, Maha El (August 5, 2020). "After blast, Lebanon has less than a month's grain reserves". Reuters – via uk.reuters.com.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "French Amphibious Ready Group Set Sails for the Indo-Pacific". 18 February 2021.
- ^ Manaranche, Martin (31 May 2022). "Feedback On French Navy High Intensity Exercise POLARIS". Naval News. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Lutte contre la piraterie : entraînement de la Marine française dans le golfe de Guinée" [Fight against piracy: French Navy training in the Gulf of Guinea] (in French). Marine Nationale. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (26 October 2023). "France Deploys One LHD, Two Frigates To The Eastern Mediterranean". Naval News. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
Further reading
- Moulin, Jean (2020). Tous les porte-aéronefs en France: de 1912 à nos jours [All the Aircraft Carriers of France: From 1912 to Today]. Collection Navires et Histoire des Marines du Mond; 35 (in French). Le Vigen, France: Lela Presse. ISBN 978-2-37468-035-4.</ref>
External links
- BPC Tonnerre Archived 2007-09-15 at the Wayback Machine Force Projection and Command Ship Tonnerre on Alabordache
- BPC Tonnerre Force Projection and Command Ship Tonnerre