French ship Tonnerre (L9014)
{{short description|French amphibious assault ship}}
{{other ships|French ship Tonnerre{{!}}French ship Tonnerre}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2008}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
}} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:Le Tonnerre.JPG | Ship caption = Tonnerre }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = France | Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|France|naval}} | Ship name = Tonnerre | Ship namesake = "Thunder" | Ship owner = | Ship operator = | Ship registry = | Ship route = | Ship ordered = | Ship awarded = | Ship builder = Arsenal de Brest, Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire | Ship original cost = | Ship yard number = | Ship way number = | Ship laid down = *26 August 2003 (aft section at Brest)
| Ship launched = 26 July 2005 | Ship sponsor = | Ship christened = | Ship completed = | Ship acquired = | Ship commissioned = December 2006 | 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 = Toulon | Ship identification = *Pennant number: L 9014
| Ship motto = | Ship nickname = | Ship honours = | Ship captured = | Ship fate = | Ship status = In service | Ship notes = | Ship badge = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = {{sclass|Mistral|amphibious assault ship}} | Ship tonnage = | Ship displacement = *16,500 t (empty)
| Ship length = {{convert|199|m|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|32|m|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = {{convert|6.3|m|abbr=on}} | Ship depth = | Ship hold depth = | Ship decks = | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ramps = | Ship ice class = | Ship power = | Ship propulsion = *Motorisation : 2 Mermaïd electric motors (2 × 7 MW)
| Ship sail plan = | Ship speed = {{convert|18.8|kn|abbr=on}} | Ship range = *{{convert|10,800|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn|abbr=on}}
| Ship endurance = | Ship test depth = | Ship boats = | Ship capacity = 2 barges, one Leclerc battalion, 70 vehicles | Ship troops = | Ship complement = 20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 Quarter-masters, 450 passengers (900 for a short cruise), 150 men for an onboard headquarters | Ship crew = | Ship time to activate = | Ship sensors = | Ship EW = | Ship armament = *2 Simbad systems
| Ship armour = | Ship armor = | Ship aircraft = 16 heavy or 35 light helicopters | Ship aircraft facilities = | Ship notes = }} |
Tonnerre (L9014; lit. Thunder) is an amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the Marine Nationale. She is the eighth vessel to bear the name and the second ship in the {{sclass|Mistral|amphibious assault ship|0}} amphibious assault ship series.
Construction and career
File:M1A1 Abrams embarks FS Tonnerre.JPG
Tonnerre was laid down in two parts. On 26 August 2003, the aft section was laid down by Arsenal de Brest at Brest and the bow section was laid down 5 May 2004 by Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire at Saint-Nazaire. The vessel was launched on 26 July 2005 and began active service in December 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/mistral/ |title=Mistral Class – Amphibious Assault, France |publisher=naval-technology.com |access-date=25 October 2014}}
Tonnerre{{'}}s maiden voyage occurred between 10 April and 24 July 2007. During this voyage, Tonnerre was involved in Opération Licorne, the French co-deploying complement to the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire following the Ivorian Civil War. Gazelle and Cougar helicopters of the French Air Force operated from the ship beginning on 9 July.
At the start of 2008, Tonnerre was involved in the Corymbe 92 mission (see Standing French Navy Deployments), a humanitarian mission in the Gulf of Guinea. During this deployment, Tonnerre acted on tip-offs from the European Maritime Analysis Operation Centre – Narcotics, and intercepted {{convert|5.7|t}} of smuggled cocaine: {{cvt|2.5|t}} from a fishing vessel {{convert|520|km|nmi}} from Monrovia on 29 January,{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/248016/French-navy-in-big-cocaine-seizure-off-West-Africa |title=French navy in big cocaine seizure off West Africa |date=1 February 2008 |agency=Reuters |newspaper=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=30 September 2011}} and {{cvt|3.2|t}} from a cargo ship {{convert|300|km|nmi}} off Conakry.
In May 2011, the French Military deployed Tiger and Gazelle helicopters on the ship to augment forces engaged in Opération Harmattan and later Operation Unified Protector during the Libyan Civil War.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13510395 | work=BBC News | title=Libya unrest: UK and France 'to send helicopters' | date=23 May 2011}} along with allied ships such as the British helicopter carrier {{HMS|Ocean|L12|6}} which also provided its own attack helicopters.{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/nato-uses-attack-helicopters-for-first-time-in-libya/ | work=Fox News | title=NATO Uses Attack Helicopters for First Time in Libya | date=4 June 2011}}
File:Port of Beirut 15-8-2020.jpg on {{dts|2020.08.15|format=dmy}}]]
In 2020, Tonnerre was deployed to Beirut, Lebanon, shortly after an ammonium nitrate explosion at the city's port killed roughly 200 people and caused significant destruction, including the loss of the nation's main grain elevator.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20200814-french-defence-minister-visits-beirut-to-inspect-military-aid-ship-thunder-lebanon-explosion-port|title=French defence minister visits Beirut to inspect military aid ship 'Thunder'|date=August 14, 2020|website=RFI}}{{Cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast-wheat-idUSKCN251190|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026051608/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast-wheat-idUSKCN251190|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 26, 2020|title=After blast, Lebanon has less than a month's grain reserves|first=Ellen Francis, Maha El|last=Dahan|newspaper=Reuters|date=August 5, 2020|via=uk.reuters.com}} The ship arrived in Beirut on {{dts|2020.08.13|format=dm}} with "75,000 army rations, large quantities of flour, [and] medical supplies", as well as fire trucks and construction materials.{{r|beirut.rfi}} Around 350 personnel were to join the clean-up efforts around the port, which was expected to take weeks.{{r|beirut.rfi}}
In 2021, Tonnerre deployed to the Pacific accompanied by the frigate {{ship|French frigate|Surcouf||2}},{{Cite web|url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/02/french-amphibious-ready-group-set-sails-for-the-indo-pacific/|title = French Amphibious Ready Group Set Sails for the Indo-Pacific|date = 18 February 2021}} to conduct the joint La Perouse naval exercise with the four Quadrilateral Security Dialogue members participating. From 18 November to 2 December 2021, Tonnerre took part in Exercise Polaris 21 in the western Mediterranean Sea.{{cite web |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/05/feedback-on-french-navy-high-intensity-exercise-polaris/ |title=Feedback On French Navy High Intensity Exercise POLARIS |work=Naval News |last=Manaranche |first=Martin |date=31 May 2022 |access-date=2 June 2022}} In late 2022 she operated with the frigate {{ship|French frigate|Germinal||2}} in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea.{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actualites/lutte-contre-piraterie-entrainement-marine-francaise-golfe-guinee |title=Lutte contre la piraterie : entraînement de la Marine française dans le golfe de Guinée |language=fr |trans-title=Fight against piracy: French Navy training in the Gulf of Guinea |publisher=Marine Nationale |date=25 October 2022 |access-date=1 November 2022}}
In October 2023 Tonnerre was deployed as a hospital ship to the Eastern Mediterranean during the Gaza war, joining the frigates {{ship|French frigate|Alsace||2}} and Surcouf which were also deployed to the region.{{cite web |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/10/france-deploys-one-lhd-two-frigates-to-the-eastern-mediterranean/ |title=France Deploys One LHD, Two Frigates To The Eastern Mediterranean |publisher=Naval News |last=Vavasseur |first=Xavier |date=26 October 2023 |access-date=27 October 2023}}
In 2024, Tonnerre, accompanied by the frigate Guépratte, was tasked to undertake a prolonged deployment circumventing South America and also visiting North America. As part of her deployment, the ship was to embark 162 officer cadets and a French Army detachment including two Gazelle helicopters, two light (armoured) cavalry platoons, one section from the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment as well as other elements including some 40 vehicles among them the VBMR Griffon.{{cite web |url=https://www.opex360.com/2024/02/08/marine-nationale-la-mission-jeanne-darc-2024-va-mettre-le-cap-vers-les-ameriques/ |title=Marine nationale : La mission Jeanne d'Arc 2024 va mettre le cap vers les Amériques |work=zone militaire |language=fr |last=Lagneau |first=Laurent |date=8 February 2024 |access-date=10 February 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last1=Moulin |first1=Jean |title=Tous les porte-aéronefs en France: de 1912 à nos jours |date=2020 |publisher=Lela Presse |location=Le Vigen, France |isbn=978-2-37468-035-4|language=fr|trans-title=All the Aircraft Carriers of France: From 1912 to Today|series=Collection Navires et Histoire des Marines du Mond; 35}}
External links
{{Commons category|Tonnerre (L9014)}}
- [http://www.alabordache.com/marine/espacemarine/marine/commandement/tonnerre/index.php BPC Tonnerre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070915205034/http://www.alabordache.com/marine/espacemarine/marine/commandement/tonnerre/index.php |date=2007-09-15 }} Force Projection and Command Ship Tonnerre on Alabordache
- [http://bpctonnerre.free.fr BPC Tonnerre] Force Projection and Command Ship Tonnerre
{{Mistral class amphibious assault ship}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonnerre}}
Category:Mistral-class amphibious assault ships
Category:Ships built in France