French frigate Auvergne
{{short description|FREMM class multi-purpose frigates in the French Navy}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=File:French frigate Auvergne (D654) underway in the Arabian Gulf on 19 September 2017 (170919-N-WM647-0667).JPG |Ship caption= Auvergne in the Persian Gulf on 19 September 2017 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=France |Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|France|naval}} |Ship name= Auvergne |Ship namesake= Auvergne |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number= |Ship way number= |Ship laid down= August 2012 |Ship launched=2 September 2015 |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed= 11 April 2017 |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned= 14 February 2018 |Ship recommissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship maiden voyage= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship reclassified= |Ship refit= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship homeport= Brest{{cite web | url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-fregate-auvergne-a-rallie-brest | title=La frégate Auvergne a rallié Brest | Mer et Marine | date=19 December 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-marine-nationale-va-doubler-le-nombre-de-fregates-basees-a-brest | title=La Marine nationale va doubler le nombre de frégates basées à Brest | Mer et Marine | date=8 November 2022 }} |Ship identification=*{{MMSI Number|227999500}}
|Ship motto= |Ship nickname= |Ship honours= |Ship honors= |Ship captured= |Ship fate= |Ship status= Active |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class= {{sclass|Aquitaine|frigate}} |Ship displacement= 6,000 tons |Ship length= {{convert|466|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} |Ship beam= {{convert|65|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} |Ship height= |Ship draught= {{convert|16|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} |Ship power= |Ship propulsion= *MTU Series 4000 (2,2 MW everyone) |Ship speed= {{convert|27|kn|lk=in}}; max cruise speed {{convert|15.6|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range={{convert|6000|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} |Ship endurance= |Ship complement=145 |Ship sensors=*Héraklès multi-purpose passive electronically scanned array radar
|Ship EW= |Ship armament=
|Ship armour= |Ship aircraft= 1 × NH90 helicopter |Ship aircraft facilities=Single hangar |Ship notes= }} |
Auvergne (D654) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.
Development and design
Original plans were for 17 FREMM to replace the nine {{sclass|D'Estienne d'Orves|aviso|0}} avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the {{sclass|Tourville|frigate|5}} and {{sclass|Georges Leygues|frigate|4}}es. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).
Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the {{sclass2|Horizon|frigate|1}}s in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals.{{cite news|date=19 September 2007|title=FREMM : Supprimer des frégates, un non sens économique et stratégique?|language=fr|newspaper=Mer et Marine|url=http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/imprimer-article/58043|url-status=live|access-date=23 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518021529/http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/imprimer-article/58043|archive-date=18 May 2013}} Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion).{{cite web|date=20 November 2014|title=Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces|url=http://www.senat.fr/rap/a14-110-8/a14-110-819.html#toc308|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216190220/http://www.senat.fr/rap/a14-110-8/a14-110-819.html#toc308|archive-date=16 December 2014|accessdate=2015-02-22|publisher=Senate of France|language=French}} The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs. In 2015, the total number of ASW variants was further reduced to just six units, including Auvergne.
Construction and career
Auvergne was developed as part of a joint Italian-French program known as FREMM, which was implemented to develop a new class of frigates for use by various European navies. Constructed from 2012. The frigate Auvergne was launched on 2 September 2015 and commissioned in 2018.
In late 2021/early 2022, just prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the frigate deployed to the Black Sea for exercises with the Bulgarian and other NATO navies.{{cite web | url=https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/january/11203-french-frigate-auvergne-conducts-drills-with-bulgarian-frigate-drazki-in-black-sea.html | title=French frigate Auvergne conducts drills with Bulgarian frigate Drazki in Black Sea }} The frigate departed the Black Sea prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
She was initially home ported at Toulon, but transferred to the naval base at Brest in December 2022.{{cite web | url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-fremm-auvergne-en-route-pour-sa-nouvelle-base-de-brest | title=La FREMM Auvergne en route pour sa nouvelle base de Brest | Mer et Marine | date=5 December 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-marine-nationale-va-doubler-le-nombre-de-fregates-basees-a-brest | title=La Marine nationale va doubler le nombre de frégates basées à Brest | Mer et Marine | date=8 November 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-fremm-auvergne-rejoindra-sa-nouvelle-base-de-brest-en-novembre | title=La FREMM Auvergne rejoindra sa nouvelle base de Brest en novembre | Mer et Marine | date=8 July 2022 }}
{{Gallery
|align=center
|title=Views of Auvergne
|File:D654 Fremantle.jpg|Auvergne at Fremantle on 18 November 2017.
|File:Aerial bow view of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and the French destroyers Auvergne (D654) and Jean Bart (D615) 170919-N-WM647-1984.jpg|{{USS|Nimitz}} and the frigates {{ship|French frigate|Jean Bart||2}} and Auvergne on 19 September 2017.
|File:French Navy ship Auvergne and NH90 helicopter.jpg|NHIndustries NH90 helicopter of the French Naval Aviation landing on Auvergne.
}}
References
{{Commons category|D654 Auvergne (ship, 2015)}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Aquitaine class frigate}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auvergne, French frigate}}