''Guépratte'' is a general purpose of the French ''Marine Nationale''. She is the second French vessel named after the 19–20th century admiral Émile Paul Amable Guépratte. The ship was commissioned in 2001 and is currently in service. She is scheduled to remain in service until 2031.

Service history

She is the only frigate of the ''La Fayette'' class whose complement includes women, with 25 female crewmen on board. In January 2016, the first female commander of a frigate in the ''Marine Nationale'' was appointed to command ''Guépratte''. In 2016, ''Guépratte'' deployed as part of the ''Jeanne d'Arc'' battle group which included the

amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of warship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an armed conflict. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (which, as a result, ar ...

. In early 2022, ''Guépratte'' was deployed in the Indian Ocean but was expected to return to France in May after being relieved by her sister ship . ''Guépratte'' was again in the Arabian Sea in late 2022, operating with Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, when it seized large quantities of hashish and heroin from a fishing vessel. In early 2023, it was believed that ''Guépratte'' was involved in the boarding and seizure of an Iranian vessel reported to be carrying thousands of assault rifles and anti-tank missiles destined for

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. The frigate returned to her home port at Toulon in March 2023. In 2024, ''Guépratte'' was tasked to escort the helicopter assault ship ''Tonnerre'' on a prolonged deployment circumventing South America and also visiting North America. Unlike other frigates of her class, it is not planned that she will incorporate a hull-mounted sonar system as part of her future sensor fit and therefore her potential anti-submarine capability is limited to that which might be provided by her shipborne helicopter. ''Guépratte'' is scheduled to undergo a modest structural and technical upgrade (with the elderly Crotale SAM to be removed from the vessel) and, given somewhat reduced general purpose capability, was to have been re-assigned to offshore patrol duties prior to her planned withdrawal from service in 2031. However, subsequently it was decided to retain the ship in the frigate role despite her not having received a mid-life upgrade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guepratte (F 714) La Fayette-class frigates Frigates of France 1999 ships Ships built in France