French frigate Latouche-Tréville

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Latouche-Tréville (D646) underway in the Gulf of Aden on 12 April
Latouche-Tréville in April 2019
History
France
NameLatouche-Tréville
NamesakeLouis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville
Laid down15 February 1984
Launched19 March 1988
Commissioned16 July 1990
Decommissioned1 July 2022
IdentificationMMSI number: 228728000
StatusWithdrawn from service[1]
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
Complement
  • 20 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:
  • 8 × Exocet MM40 (Block 2) missiles[3]
  • Anti-submarine:
  • 10 × L5 Mod4 torpedoes
  • 2 × L5 torpedo launchers
Aircraft carried

Latouche-Tréville was a F70 type anti-submarine destroyer of the French Navy (Marine Nationale).

The French Navy does not use the term "destroyer" for its ships. Thus, some large ships, referred to as "frégates" in French, are registered as destroyers. And additionally, some minor ships, referred to as "avisos" in French, are registered as frigates.

She was the third French vessel named after the 18-19th century politician and admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville.

Service history[edit]

Latouche-Tréville departing from Portsmouth Naval Base, UK, 21 September 2009

In November 2006 and again in June 2010, Latouche-Tréville visited London on diplomatic duties, and was moored alongside the Second World War cruiser, HMS Belfast.

In mid 2009, she was filmed in stormy seas as part of the documentary Oceans.[4] In late 2009, while attached to an international force of NATO vessels, Latouche-Tréville visited Portsmouth Naval Base in the United Kingdom with vessels of the Dutch, Norwegian, Spanish and Turkish navies.

On 15 October 2012, the frigate was moored at Leith Docks in Scotland.

On 18 April 2015, she escorted a replica of the 18th century sailing ship Hermione as it departed La Rochelle, France on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Yorktown, Virginia in the United States. Latouche-Tréville returned to Brest with the ship on 10 August.[5][6] In May, Latouche-Tréville was among a dozen surface vessels and four submarines that took part in NATO's annual "Dynamic Mongoose" military exercise. Amid rising tensions with Russia, the two-week event in Norwegian waters saw ships under NATO command conducting a variety of anti-submarine warfare operations.[7] On 4 June, she was moored again at Leith Docks in Scotland.

On 9 January 2020, the vessel suffered damage in a storm soon after departing from Brest, and returned to port the next day with her top mast missing. The incident also destroyed an electronic warfare pod and damaged the starboard SYRACUSE system.[8] As of 2020, with the retirement of her sister ship La Motte-Picquet, Latouche-Tréville was the last vessel of her class in service.

In March 2022, the frigate deployed to the Baltic Sea for exercises with other NATO navies. On the deployment the ship embarked an older Alouette III helicopter. She returned to Brest in June 2022.[9][10]

The frigate was withdrawn from service on 1 July 2022.[1][11][12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Groizeleau, Vincent (5 July 2022). "Fin du Latouche-Tréville : la Marine nationale tourne la page des frégates du type F70". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. ^ "French Navy brings forward Lynx retirement".
  3. ^ "Georges Leygues class anti-submarine destroyer Type F70 ASM ASW Anti-submarine Frigates Frégates anti-sous-marines FASM D640 D641 D642 D643 D644 D645 D646 DUBV-43 DSBV-61 Marine Nationale French Navy DCNS datasheet pictures photos video specifications".
  4. ^ "Oceans (2009)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. ^ Schofield, Hugh (18 April 2015). "Replica 18th Century French frigate sails for US". BBC News. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Replica French warship recreates historic voyage to US". BBC News. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Anti-submarine warfare exercise 'Dynamic Mongoose' starts off Norwegian coast". North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Fortune de mer pour la frégate Latouche-Tréville". Ouest-France (in French). 11 January 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  9. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (14 June 2022). "La frégate Latouche-Tréville est rentrée à Brest à l'issue de son ultime mission". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Latouche-Tréville Rraining [sic] With NATO Allies in the Baltic". Seawaves Magazine. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  11. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (20 May 2022). "La frégate Latouche-Tréville poursuit son ultime mission en Baltique sous pavillon OTAN". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  12. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (19 April 2022). "La cession du Latouche-Tréville à la Roumanie écartée". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2022.

External links[edit]