Languedoc in the Mediterranean Sea, March 2021
History
France
NameLanguedoc
NamesakeLanguedoc
BuilderDCNS, Lorient
Laid down30 November 2011
Launched12 July 2014
CompletedOctober 2015
Commissioned4 July 2017
HomeportToulon
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeAquitaine-class frigate
Displacement6,000 tons
Length466 ft (142.0 m)
Beam65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph); max cruise speed 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph)
Range6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement145
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × NH90 helicopter
Aviation facilitiesSingle hangar

Languedoc (D653) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.[3]

Development and design

Original plans were for 17 FREMM to replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the Tourville and Georges Leygues classes. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).

Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals.[4] Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion).[5] The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs.[5] In 2015, the total number of ASW variants was further reduced to just six units, including Languedoc.

Construction and career

Languedoc was developed as part of a joint Italian-French program known as FREMM, which was implemented to develop a new class of frigates for use by various European navies. Constructed from 2011. On 12 July 2014, the frigate Languedoc was launched.

On 14 April 2018, the frigate participated in the bombing of Barzeh and Him Shinshar in Syria with the United States and the United Kingdom. Neither Aquitaine nor Auvergne were able to fire their missiles, and it was Languedoc which carried out by firing three MdCN of which this is the first operational use.

On 24 April 2019, Languedoc, HMS Duncan, USS Mobile Bay, USS Bainbridge and Méndez Núñez conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea with USS Abraham Lincoln and USS John C. Stennis.[6]

Languedoc was engaged, alongside HNLMS De Ruyter and a Atlantique maritime patrol plane, in Operation Agenor for the benefit of the European Union (within the framework of EMASOH) for the surveillance of the Strait of Hormuz from 19 May 2020, replacing the frigate Forbin. On 6 August 2020, the incorporation of Languedoc into the operation was extended by three months thanks to the replacement of crew B by the A – which is a first for a French Navy vessel in operation since the passage to double crew in 2019, carried out in 72 hours at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi at Port Zayed, thus ensuring the permanence and continuity of the frigate's commitment to its mission. The frigate was then accompanied by HDMS Iver Huitfeldt replacing HNLMS De Ruyter.[7][8]

On 27 March 2021, Languedoc conducted underway replenishment to receive fuel from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea and in July 2022 she was sailing with the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group (HSTCSG) in the Mediterranean.[9] In mid 2023, the frigate was operating in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, accompanying the nuclear attack submarine Suffren for part of that deployment.[10]

On 26 November 2023, Languedoc completed a transit of the Strait of Hormuz to enter the waters of the Persian Gulf as the Strike Group continues to support USCENTCOM missions.[11]

On 9 December 2023 Languedoc shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea 110 kilometres (59 nmi) off Al Hudaydah, Yemen.[12]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to D653 Languedoc (ship, 2016).
  1. ↑ "Photos: Naval Group Launches 'Lorraine', its Final FREMM Frigate". 13 November 2020.
  2. ↑ Vavasseur, Xavier (17 October 2022). "First Exocet MM40 Block 3c Missiles Set For December Delivery". Naval News. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Aquitaine class FREMM Frigate French Navy Marine Nationale". www.seaforces.org. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  4. ↑ "FREMM : Supprimer des frégates, un non sens économique et stratégique?". Mer et Marine (in French). 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces" (in French). Senate of France. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Video: U.S. Navy Sails '200,000 Tons of Diplomacy' in the Mediterranean Sea". USNI News. 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  7. ↑ "Forbin : retour sur sa première participation à l'opération européenne Agenor". Mer et Marine (in French). 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  8. ↑ "Agenor : le Languedoc restera 6 mois, une frégate danoise intègre l'opération". Mer et Marine (in French). 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  9. ↑ "French, Italian Ships Join Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group". SeaWaves Magazine.
  10. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (2023-10-05). "Le SNA Suffren rentre de son premier déploiement en océan Indien". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  11. ↑ U.S. Central Command [@CENTCOM] (November 26, 2023). "On Nov. 26, the Carrier Strike Group Eisenhower (IKECSG) completed a transit of the Strait of Hormuz to enter the waters of the Persian Gulf as the Strike Group continues to support USCENTCOM missions" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-11-26 – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "French warship in Red Sea targeted by drones launched from Yemen". RFI. 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
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