Successful Maiden Deployment for French Navy Aquitaine-class FREMM Provence

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Naval Forces News - France
 
 
 
Successful Maiden Deployment for French Navy Aquitaine-class FREMM Provence
 
The French Navy (Marine Nationale) FREMM (multi-mission frigate) Provence reached its homeport in Brest on April 21 after five months of distant deployment. Newly received by the French Navy in the summer of 2015, FREMM Provence sailed from Brest on November 15, 2015 for its first deployment. This was a long and demanding journey that took the vessel and its crew all the way to the South China Sea.
     
The French Navy (Marine Nationale) FREMM (multi-mission frigate) Provence reached its homeport in Brest on April 21 after five months of distant deployment. Newly received by the French Navy in the summer of 2015, FREMM Provence sailed from Brest on November 15, 2015 for its first deployment. This was a long and demanding journey that took the vessel and its crew all the way to the South China Sea.
FREMM Provence with aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
French Navy picture

     
Provence was the first French Navy FREMM to cross the Suez Canal as well as the first to be integrated to a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) by joining the US Navy aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman near the Strait of Hormuz. Provence then escorted the French CSG in December and January with aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle engaged in the Persian Gulf in the Chammal operation against Daesh.

The frigate deployed with a crew of 140 sailors, an NH90 NFH "Caiman" helicopter and an ECUME RHIB belonging to the special forces (commandos marine). Following patrols in the Persian/Arabian Gulf, Provence continued its deployment in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
     
The French Navy (Marine Nationale) FREMM (multi-mission frigate) Provence reached its homeport in Brest on April 21 after five months of distant deployment. Newly received by the French Navy in the summer of 2015, FREMM Provence sailed from Brest on November 15, 2015 for its first deployment. This was a long and demanding journey that took the vessel and its crew all the way to the South China Sea.
Several hundreds of AK47 assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and RPGs were found.
French Navy picture

     
In late March, when it was integrated into CTF 150 (CombinedTask Force150, one of the three forces of the multinational naval coalition against maritime traffic), Provence intercepted a ship off Somalia under resolution 2182 of the United Nations security Council, banning arms trafficking in this area. The search resulted in finding several hundreds of AK47 assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and RPGs.

During the 160 days deployment, Provence sailed across three oceans and four seas, traveling more than 35,000 nautical miles.