The Bâtiment de Transport Léger (abbreviated BATRAL; "Light ferry ship") are small
landing ship
An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault.
Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crud ...
s of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. Also known as ''Champlain'' class by the
lead ship, they have been used for regional transport and patrol needs in French Overseas Departments and Territories since the 1970s.
On 9 January 2014 it was announced that the two remaining Batrals in French service would be replaced in 2015/16 by three (subsequently four) 1500-tonne
Bâtiments Multimission (B2M) at a cost of ~€100m (US$136m).
Design
The BATRALs can ferry over 400 tons of
matériel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specific ...
, in the hangar and on the deck. Loading and unloading can be done from a harbour or on a beach. Two flat-bottom vessels allow unloading fifty men and light vehicles each. The accommodations are designed for a ''Guépard''-type intervention unit (five officers, fifteen petty officers and 118 men), or for typical company-sized armoured units. A helicopter landing deck allows landing for light helicopters, and transfer to and from heavy helicopters.
History
The
Chilean Navy purchased the plans and built three ships in the ASMAR shipyards in the early 1980s.
Ships
;
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
*''
Champlain'' decommissioned
*''
Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier ( vi, Ngạc Nhi; 25 July 1839 – 21 December 1873) was a French officer, inspector of Indigenous Affairs of Cochinchina and explorer. He eventually became mission leader of the Mekong Exploration Commission in 19th ...
'' decommissioned
*''
Dumont D'Urville'' decommissioned in July 2017
*''
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...
'' decommissioned
*''
La Grandière'' decommissioned in 2016
;
Chilean Navy
*''Maipo'' (LST-91) 1982–1998
*''Rancagua'' (LST-92) 1983–present
*''Chacabuco'' (LST-95) 1986–present
;
Côte d'Ivoire Navy
* ''L'Elephant''
;
Gabon Navy
* ''President el Hadj Omar Bongo'' (L05)
;
Royal Moroccan Navy
* ''Daoud Ben Aicha'' (402)
* ''Ahmed Es Skali'' (403)
* ''Abou Abdallah El Ayachi'' (404)
Image:BATRAL-francis-garnier-02.jpg, ''Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier ( vi, Ngạc Nhi; 25 July 1839 – 21 December 1873) was a French officer, inspector of Indigenous Affairs of Cochinchina and explorer. He eventually became mission leader of the Mekong Exploration Commission in 19th ...
'' at sea
Image:BATRAL-francis-garnier-36.jpg, ''Francis Garnier'' in port
Image:BATRAL29.jpg, '' Dumont D'Urville'' with her landing bow opened
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batral
Amphibious warfare vessel classes
BATRAL
BATRAL
Ship classes of the French Navy