French frigate Jean de Vienne

Jean de Vienne was a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. The French navy does not use the term "destroyer" for its ships; hence some large ships, referred to as "frigates", are registered as destroyers. She was the third French vessel named after the 14th century admiral Jean de Vienne. Her complement was 20% female.[1]

Jean de Vienne near Toulon, 23 September 2003
History
France
NameJean de Vienne
NamesakeJean de Vienne
Laid down26 October 1979
Launched17 November 1981
Commissioned25 May 1984
Decommissioned9 January 2019
Identification
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typeGeorges Leygues-class frigate
Displacement
  • 3,550 t (3,494 long tons)
  • 4,500 t (4,429 long tons) full load
Length139 m (456 ft 0 in)
Beam14 m (45 ft 11 in)
Height39.36 m (129 ft 2 in)
Draught5.8 m (19 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) on gas turbines
  • 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) on diesels
Range
  • 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) at 30 kn (35 mph; 56 km/h) on gas turbines
  • 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) on diesels
Complement20 officers, 120 non-commissioned officers, 95 men
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Detection:
  • 1 Air/surface sentry radar DRBV51C
  • 1 Air sentry radar DRBV 26
  • 1 Fire control radar DRBC 32E
  • 2 Navigation radar KH 1007
  • 1 Hull sonar DUBV 23
  • 1 Towed sonar DUBV 43C
  • Tactical information:
  • SENIT 4
  • SEAO/OPSMER
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 2 Radar interceptors ARBR 16
  • 2 × Syllex chaff launchers
Armament
  • Anti-air:
  • 1 × Crotale EDIR system - 8 missiles on launcher + 18 stored
  • 2 × Simbad systems - 2 × 2 Mistral missiles
  • 1 × CADAM 100 mm main gun
  • 2 × 20 mm guns
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
  • Anti-surface:
  • 4 × Exocet MM38 missiles; subsequently upgraded to 8 x MM40 variant
  • Anti-submarine:
  • 10 × L5 Mod4 torpedoes
  • 2 × L5 torpedo launchers
Aircraft carried
  • 2 × Lynx WG13 Mk.4 helicopters, each with:
  • 1 × DUAV4 sonar
  • Rheseda system for transmission of acoustic data
  • 12 × Mark 46 torpedoes

Jean de Vienne was laid down on 26 October 1979 and launched 17 November 1981. She was accepted into the French navy on 25 May 1984.[2]

Service history

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During the 1991 Gulf War, Jean de Vienne was reported as the only French naval vessel to have been part of surface forces under the operational command and control of the United States.[3]

In 2001, Jean de Vienne was part of the task force deployed to the Indian Ocean as part of Opération Héraklès, the initial French contribution to the War in Afghanistan. While deployed there, she was part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.[1]

On 4 January 2009, Jean de Vienne helped to defend the Croatian tanker Donat, owned by the Tankerska plovidba from Zadar, and the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Vulturnus, off Somalia.

In 2011, the ship deployed as part of Opération Harmattan, the French contribution to NATO's involvement in the military intervention in Libya.[4]

The ship decommissioned in 2019.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Frégate Jean de Vienne" (in French). netmarine.net. 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Jean de Viennne". 20 November 2015.
  3. ^ "La Marine dans la Guerre du Golfe". www.netmarine.net. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  4. ^ "La frégate Jean de Vienne reçoit la croix de la valeur militaire" (in French). MeretMarine. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
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