FS Surcouf: The Historical past Behind The French Frigate Warship

It wasn’t very lengthy after getting into service {that a} mission offered itself to Surcouf in 1997’s Operation Antilope [sic], which evacuated roughly 80 French and different nationals from the Congo by helicopter. This was adopted by offering assist to 6,000 French troops taking part in Operation Trident in Kosovo in 1999 and an undisclosed function in Mission Khor Anga within the Djibouti zone of Africa.

In addition to humanitarian operations and low-intensity conflicts, Surcouf additionally has a number of high-profile sea rescues to its credit score. In 2001, a crusing crew of 5 was airlifted from their sinking catamaran and in 2004, a 16-person crew was extracted from a Panamanian cargo ship that ran aground close to Yemen.

Presently, the warship Surcouf is awaiting some gentle modernization that may befit her newly assigned offshore patrol duties that may final till the ship is finally retired in roughly 2027. With lowered army capabilities required for her upcoming mission, the Surcouf’s getting old Crotale surface-to-air missile system is being faraway from the vessel.

[Featured image by Franck Dubey via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]