The RPC12 (''Remorqueurs Portuaires et Côtiers de 12 tonnes de traction au point fixe'', "Harbour and Coastal tugboat, 12-tonne bollard pull") is a type of harbour tugboat operated by 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 ...

. They utilise Voith propulsion to develop a 12-tonne

bollard pull Bollard pull is a conventional measure of the pulling (or towing) power of a watercraft. It is defined as the force (in tonnes force, or kilonewtons (kN)) exerted by a vessel under full power, on a shore-mounted bollard through a tow-line, commonl ...

Design and description

The RPC12 has been classified into three sub-types: the original version, called "Type A" (comprising ''Fréhel'' and ''Saire''), was designed as a dual-purpose tugboat capable of supporting shipping operations both in harbours and off the coast. After the two first units, the design was simplified, while retaining most functionalities, to reduce cost, yielding the "Type B" (comprising ''Armen'', ''La Houssaye'', ''Kéréon'', ''Sicié'' and ''Taunoa''). The nine remaining units constitute the RP12 type, which is further simplified to operate only within harbours (comprising ''Lardier'', ''Giens'', ''Mengam'', ''Balaguier'', ''Taillat'', ''Nividic'', ''Port Cros'', ''Le Four'' and ''Eckmühl''). Because of these differing capabilities, the RPC12 of both types are classified "auxiliaries", with an "A"-prefixed pennant number, while the RP12 are considered "yard vessels", with the corresponding "Y"-prefixed pennant numbers. The latest in the series, ''Rascas'', is an improved high-sea ship with better sonic isolation and air conditioning, or use in tropical waters, and a different radar.

Ships

Citations

External links

Remorqueurs côtiers de type ''Fréhel''
French Ministry of Defence. Tugboats of France Auxiliary tugboat classes Ship classes of the French Navy {{France-mil-unit-stub