French frigate Jean Bart

Jean Bart is a Cassard-class anti-air frigate of the French Marine Nationale. She is the eighth[1] vessel of the French Navy named after the privateer Jean Bart. She was commissioned on 3 March 1991.[2]

Jean Bart in April 2014
History
France
Name:	Jean Bart
Namesake:	Jean Bart
Builder:	DCNS S.A.
Laid down:	12 February 1986
Launched:	19 March 1988
Commissioned:	21 September 1991
Identification:	D 615
Status:	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Cassard-class frigate
Displacement:	4,500 t
Length:	139 m (456 ft)
Beam:	14 m (46 ft)
Draught:	6 m (20 ft)
Propulsion:	4 Pielstick PA6 BTC diesel engines 2 fixed pitch propellers 4 diesel-alternators (3400 kW) for electrical plant
Speed:	25 knots (46 km/h)
Range:	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h)
Complement:	22 officers 142 non-commissioned officers 80 enlisted personnel
Sensors and processing systems:	DRBV26C sentry radar 1 DRBJ11B tri-dimensional air sentry radar 1 DIBV2A infra-red alert system 2 DRBN34 navigation and landing radar 1 DUBV 24C hull sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys:	1 ARBR 17 radar detector 1 SAIGON radio emission detector 1 ARBB 33 jammer 2 SAGAIE NG decoy launchers 2 DAGAIE decoy launchers 1 Syracuse II system
Armament:	Anti-air; 1 × Mk 13 launcher (40 × Standard SM-1MR anti-air missiles) Anti-ship; 8 × MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles Anti-submarine; 2 × fixed torpedo tubes (10 × L5 mod 4 torpedoes) Guns; 1 × Creusot- Loire Compact 100 mm/55 Mod 68 DP gun 2 × 20 mm F2 anti-aircraft guns 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns CIWS; 2 × Sadral sextuple launcher (39 × Mistral CIWS anti-air missiles)
Aircraft carried:	1 × Panther anti-submarine helicopter

Jean Bart was fitted with a number of types of prototype equipment which were later incorporated in the La Fayette-class frigates.

Service history

On 12 April 2008, Jean Bart aided the capture of the pirates who had taken over the luxury yacht MY Le Ponant. She took part in Operation Unified Protector until she returned to her home port Toulon in April 2011.[3]

In October 2014, Jean Bart entered the US Fifth Fleet and joined up with CTF 50 for Opération Chammal.[4]

On 11 October 2019, Jean Bart, accompanied by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose, intercepted a suspicious dhow in the Arabian Sea and seized 170 kilograms (370 lb) of illegal narcotics.[5]

From 4 May 2020 to 1 June 2020, Jean Bart participated in the European Union's Operation Irini, enforcing the arms embargo on Libya.[6][7] The frigate is expected to decommission in Spring 2021 and be replaced by the FREMM-class frigate Alsace.[8]

References

1. "Les précédents Jean Bart". Marine Nationale (in French). www.defense.gouv.fr. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
2. "Jean Bart (D 615)". Marine Nationale (in French). www.defense.gouv.fr. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
3. "Libye: point de situation opération Harmattan n°16". Ministère de la Défense. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011.
4. "Chammal : La Frégate Jean Bart Intègre la Task Force 50" (in French). colsbleus.fr. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
5. "HMS Montrose Lands Major Drugs Haul in Arabian Sea". Royal Navy. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
6. "The Operation sets sail". Operation Irini (in Italian). 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
7. "JEAN-BART" (PDF).
8. https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/marine-nationale-les-programmes-qui-vont-faconner-la-future-flotte-francaise