The ''D'Entrecasteaux'' class is a class of oceanic

patrol ship A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s of the French Navy. The ship's designation is Bâtiment multi-mission (B2M) in French, meaning "multi-mission ship", and sometimes dubbed the " Swiss Army knife of the Navy".Un B2M flambant neuf, "couteau suisse de la marine nationale", pour la zone océan Indien
, Léia Santacroce, la1ere.fr The ship is designed to perform sovereignty, law enforcement and logistics missions (such as policing

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

, offshore traffic and resource mining, assisting distressed ships, search and rescue, and contributing to the logistics of

Overseas collectivities The French overseas collectivities (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or ''COM'') are first-order administrative divisions of France, like the French regions, but have a semi-autonomous status. The COMs include some former French overseas colonie ...

and departments.CP - GPL >Un nouveau bâtiment multi-missions dans la zone océan Indien (La Réunion, Mayotte, TAAF)
, Ministère des Outre-Mers (Overseas Ministry)). The class replaced the aging s in some of these roles.Trois supply pour remplacer les Batral de la Marine nationale
, meretmarine.com Three units were initially planned, but a fourth one was ordered in early 2015, to cover the Mozambique Channel. The French Navy's first ''Bâtiment multi-mission'' (B2M) ship, ''d'Entrecasteaux'', was delivered at the end of March 2016. The B2M vessels can be armed with two 12.7x99 mm (.50 cal.) machine guns. AA621 D'Entrecasteaux Woolloomooloo (18 12 16)

AA621 D'Entrecasteaux Woolloomooloo (18 12 16)

History

Missions and background

France holds the largest exclusive economic zones (EEZ), totalling one million km² in the Indian Ocean and 1.7 million km² in the Southern Ocean."Un quatrième B2M pour la Marine nationale"
, ''Le Marin'', May 21, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015. To enforce law in these areas, the French Navy has deployed a number of ships suitable for low-intensity engagements and with flexible capabilities: s, s and s, all

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

designs, have been deployed in this role, and stop-gap measures such as were taken. More recently, the French Navy has procured classes of ship specifically designed for law enforcement and public service in the EEZ, such as the s. In the 2010s, the aging BATRAL, , based in Nouméa, was decommissioned in April 2013 and the decommissioning of ''Albatros'' in May 2015 led to the need to procure replacements for the naval stations of

Port des Galets A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

( La Réunion), Nouméa (

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

Dégrad des Cannes Dégrad des Cannes is the main seaport for the French Overseas department of French Guiana, situated in the northern edge of South America and opening into the Caribbean. The seaport is located on the estuary of the Mahury River. Nearly all of ...

( Martinique) and

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

(

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

). In March 2006, the ''Service des Programmes Navals'' (SPN, "Naval Programme Service") started to study a replacement for the five BATRALs and for ''Albatros''.Marine Garde-côtière : du BIS au BMM
, le Fauteuil de Colbert The ships initially envisioned would have been typed ''Bâtiments d'intervention et de souveraineté'' (BIS, "Intervention and Sovereignty Ships"); although they were to dispense with the amphibious capabilities of the BATRAL, they were to accommodate a company-sized force (120 men and 20 vehicles, including armoured vehicles). Four projects were evaluated, including the "MultiPurpose Projection Vessel" by CNIM, the "Echoship" by DCNS, the M.OPV by Piriou, and the UT 527 by

Rolls-Royce Marine Rolls-Royce Submarines, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce plc, operates three sites licensed to handle nuclear material, two of which are at Raynesway in Derby, and the other at Vulcan Nuclear Reactor Testing Establishment (NRTE), Dounreay, UK. Th ...

. In October 2013, a modified version of the M.OPV was co-contracted to Piriou and DCNS; a joint venture, Kership, was founded for the project. Expenses of the contract, amounting to 100 million euro, were initially to be covered not only by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, but also by other branches of the government: 20% of the funds to acquire the ships and 50% of the maintenance would have been provided by other ministries. However, from July 2013, it was decided that the Ministry of Defence had to shoulder the burden alone.

Design

The design selected for the Bâtiment multi-mission eschews the amphibious capabilities of the previous BATRAL and the L-CAT design proposed by CNIM, similar to the

Engin de débarquement amphibie rapide The ''Engin de débarquement amphibie rapide'' (EDA-R) is a class of roll-on/roll-off catamaran landing craft (L-CAT) ordered by the French Navy. They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel of the assault elements from s to sh ...

, for a concept of platform supply vessel, or anchor handling tug supply vessel. In line with most ship designs tasked for coastguard duty in the French Navy, the B2M will be built according to civilian standards; this was already the case notably for the ''Floréal'' class. The hulls are built in Poland, Piriou being tasked with the design of the ship proper and the finish in Concarneau, while DCNS work on the military aspects of the project.PIRIOU et DCNS remportent ensemble le contrat B2M pour la fourniture et la maintenance de 3 navires basés outre-Mer
, Concarneau et Paris, le 9 janvier 2014 The ships were to displace over 1,000 tonnes, have a length between , and machinery capable of . File:D Entrecasteaux-IMG 9430.JPG, Bulbous bow and bow thruster File:D Entrecasteaux-MG 9715.JPG, Rudder and propellers

Features and capabilities

The B2M are designed for a range of low-intensity, high-endurance missions in the French EEZ, from bases in the Overseas collectivities. As such, they feature a relatively low maximum speed of , but are able to operate for 30 days without resupply, and are designed for a high availability of 200 days at sea per year. One of their main task is maritime law enforcement, particularly in the domain of commercial fishing and against

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

Drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

and piracy. The B2M provide a limited capability of

power projection Power projection (or force projection or strength projection), in international relations, is the capacity of a state to deploy and sustain forces outside its territory. The ability of a state to project its power into an area may serve as an e ...

, as they can ferry a 20-man force, along with equipment and two vehicles; as the missions of the B2M are joint between the various ministries responsible for the maritime actions of the State, these forces can belong to any arm of the French Military, to the

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

or the Police. They carry an boat and several rigid-hulled inflatable boats, and can deploy frogmen as well as remotely operated underwater vehicles. The ship can also accommodate a medical team to be deployed during humanitarian emergencies. To assist ships of distress, the B2M can develop a 30-tonne bollard pull and have extensive anti-fire capabilities. They furthermore feature a crane capable of lifting 12 tonnes with a reach, or 10 tonnes at . This allows autonomous loading and unloading of standard containers, a useful capability for humanitarian operations in disaster areas.

Operational service

''D'Entrecasteaux'' was severely damaged by fire in July 2021. The loss of the ship for an undetermined period temporarily left the French Navy with no operational vessel in the waters around

due to the simultaneous incapacitation of the surveillance frigate and the patrol vessel . To address the gap, her sister ship ''Bougainville'' was temporarily redeployed from Tahiti to New Caledonia. By early 2022, ''La Glorieuse'' was again active while ''D'Entrecasteaux'' was repaired and declared operational once again in May 2022.

Ships

Notes and references

{{French Navy Vehicle Patrol vessels of the French Navy