French aviso Commandant Blaison
Commandant Blaison (F793) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.
 Commandant Blaison
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Commandant Blaison |
| Namesake | Georges Louis Nicolas Blaison |
| Builder | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient |
| Laid down | 15 November 1979 |
| Launched | 7 March 1981 |
| Commissioned | 28 April 1982 |
| Decommissioned | Expected, 2027 |
| Homeport | Brest[1] |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 90 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
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| Armament |
|
Design edit
Armed by a crew of 90 sailors, these vessels have the reputation of being among the most difficult in bad weather. Their high windage makes them particularly sensitive to pitch and roll as soon as the sea is formed.
Their armament, consequent for a vessel of this tonnage, allows them to manage a large spectrum of missions. During the Cold War, they were primarily used to patrol the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean in search of Soviet Navy submarines. Due to the poor performance of the hull sonar, as soon as an echo appeared, the reinforcement of an ASM frigate was necessary to chase it using its towed variable depth sonar.[3]
Their role as patrollers now consists mainly of patrols and assistance missions, as well as participation in UN missions (blockades, flag checks) or similar marine policing tasks (fight against drugs, extraction of nationals, fisheries control, etc.). The Exocet missiles have been landed, but they carry several machine guns which are more suited to their new missions.
Its construction cost was estimated at 270,000,000 French francs.[4]
Construction and career edit
Commandant Blaison was laid down on 15 November 1979 at Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient. Launched on 7 March 1981 and commissioned on 28 April 1982.
She is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2027 and be replaced by one of a new class of ocean-going Patrol Vessels (the Patrouilleurs Hauturiers).[5]
Citations edit
- ^ "L'Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet prend ses quartiers à Brest | Mer et Marine". 17 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Patrouilleurs: Les avisos français sur tous les fronts" [Patrol ships: French Avisos on all fronts.]. asafrance.fr (in French). 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "Euronaval: First details of the Patrouilleurs Océanique (PO) platform unveiled". Naval News. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Quid 1996. p. 2036. ISBN 2-221-08055-6.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (6 May 2021). "La Marine nationale va rapidement désarmer ses derniers PHM" [The French Navy will quickly disarm its last PHM]. Mer et Marine (in French). https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/la-marine-nationale-va-rapidement-se-separer-de-ses-derniers-phm Retrieved 15 June 2021.