French frigate Prairial (F731)

For other ships of the same name, see Prairial (ship).
Frigate Prairial
History
France
Name: Prairial
Namesake: Month of Prairial
Ordered: 1989
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Laid down: 11 September 1990
Launched: 16 March 1991
Commissioned: 20 May 1992
Homeport: Tahiti
Status: Active
General characteristics
Class & type: Floréal-class frigate
Displacement: 2600 tonnes (2950 tonnes full load)
Length: 93.5 m (307 ft)
Beam: 14 metres (46 ft)
Draught: 4.4 m (14 ft)
Propulsion:
  • Engines : 4 diesel SEMT Pielstick 6PA6 L280
  • Auxiliaries : 1 Ulstein 200 kW beam propulsor
  • Propellers : 2 variable pace Lips
  • Propulsive power : 8800 hp (6470 kW)
  • Electric Plant : 3 Baudouin 12P15 2SR diesel alternators and 3 Alsthom AA 49L9 alternators
  • Electric Power : 3 × 590 kW
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), 13,000 nautical miles (24,000 km; 15,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried:
  • ETN 90 (Embarcation de Transport en Nombre)
  • Zodiac Hurricane 530 OB with two Yamaha 2T 140 CV VETOL engines
  • One 10-seat zodiac
Complement:
  • 11 officers
  • 36 non-commissioned officers
  • 42 men
  • (11 men for the helicopter)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar:
  • DRBV-21C (Mars) air sentry radar
  • Racal Decca RM1290 navigation radar
  • Racal Decca RM1290 landing radar
  • Navigation
  • Microcin type intertial navigation system
  • Ben LMN4 loch
  • Furuno depth measure system
  • Navstar GPS system
  • Taiyo gonio VHF radio
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • ARBG-1A Saïgon
  • 2 Dagaie decoy systems
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 Panther helicopter

The Prairial is a light monitoring frigate ("frégate de surveillance") of the French Marine Nationale. She is the second ship of the Floréal class, and the second French warship named after the ninth month of the Republican Calendar.

She was built in the beginning of the 1990s by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint Nazaire. She is currently based in Tahiti. Although categorised as a surveillance ship, she armed with two anti-ship Exocet missiles and a 100 mm gun. She is also furbished with 35 extra berths for marines.

Prairial was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 16 October to 29 November 1999.[1]

French frigate Prairial in Hong Kong harbour (April 2006).

References

  1. ↑ Stevens, David (2007). Strength Through Diversity: The Combined Naval Role in Operation Stabilise (PDF). Working Papers 20. Canberra: Sea Power Centre - Australia. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-642-29676-4. ISSN 1834-7231. Retrieved 6 September 2010.


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