Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
"Cassard and Jean Bart currently pull AAW duty for the amphibious groups pretty much."
"The two ships replace on a one-by-one base the destroyers Suffren and Duquesne, which do carrier escort duty."
Both statements are patently false.
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Indeed, i did mix these up somewhat, fully taking the blame there.
The two
Cassards pull escort duty for
both the carrier and the amphibs - they
were deployed a lot during Operation Baliste.
Suffren and
Duquesne however
are planned to be replaced by the two Horizon destroyers, with
Forbin replacing the already decommissioned
Suffren and
Chevalier Paul replacing
Duquesne
See Jane's Fighting Ships 2004/05, page 231, the Horizon entry:
Quote:
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Following a French/Italian MoU on 22 September 2000 to build four destroyers, the French ordered two ships to be built at DCN Lorient and delivered in December 2006 and April 2008. The are planned to replace Suffren and Duquesne.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
The Masurca AAW system was deactivated on both ships in 2000 with Suffren decommissioned in 2001.
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I'm sorry, i'll have to call you on that one.
Netmarine states:
Quote:
Il effectue une escale à Livourne du 16 au 21 mars 2005. Au cours de la même période, trois tirs Masurca sont effectués au centre d'essais de la Méditerranée. Le dernier tir remontait au 13 septembre 2001.
[...]
Du 3 mai au 20 juin 2005, le Duquesne effectue la mission Atlantique 2005 permettant de réaliser sa première campagne de tirs d'élimination des missiles Masurca et de nombreuses escales de relations publiques, Funchall, Anvers, Rota, Cadix à l'occasion de l'exercice Neotapon, et Lisbonne afin d'organiser les cérémonies du 10e anniversaire de l'EUROMARFOR. Huit missiles sont tirés sur des cibles fictives en moins de vingt minutes démontrant toute la fiabilité du système Masurca.
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(Duquesne fired 3 Masurca missiles in March 2005 tests; the last previous firing was in September 2001; in June 2005, eight missiles were fired in less than 20 minutes)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
Their main ASW weapon Malafon was removed in 1998.
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According to Jane's Fighting Ships 2004/05 (page 231), the Malafon ASW systems were indeed removed in the 1998/1999 refit, having been inoperational since 1997. The same entry still lists the Masurca as active, btw (or rather, has no note regarding deactivation).
Duquesne still carries four torpedo launchers for ASW, with 10 light ECAN L5 torpedoes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
De Gaulle wasnt even commissioned until 2001.
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Duquesne did however pull AAW duty for CdG during CdG's acceptance trials. She also escorted
Charles de Gaulle during Operation Agapanthe (TF473, February to April 2004)
along with
Jean Bart in the same taskforce.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
La Fayettes have been used to escort De Gaulle which Ive commented here many times is very risky and the purpose fo which still escapes me as they cant do ASW or area AAW. Once again only having a liason helo and only the short range Crotale roughly similar to Sea Sparrow.
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Courbet & Aconit -
Exercice Péan 02 (off Crete) with CdG, along with
Cassard and
Tourville
Guépratte -
Exercice Péan 03 (off Crete) with CdG, along with
Cassard and
La Motte-Piquet
These are the only operations i can find where a La Fayette operated in a taskforce with Charles de Gaulle.
I'd be interested in other such operations being pointed out.
edit:
Ah, Operation Heracles. Sorry, but while some people may list the La Fayettes deployed
along with the carrier group as
escorts, they were not. La Fayette replaced Guépratte replaced Surcouf in that TF btw. The ships were
part of the TF as they replenished from their auxiliaries. Their actual job there was this:
Quote:
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Le 21 septembre dernier la frégate La Fayette relève le Guépratte en océan Indien, pour participer ainsi aux opérations de contrôle du traffic maritime, menées par la coalition entre le golfe d'Oman et le Golfe. L'objectif consiste à traquer les terrorristes liés à l'organisation d'Al Qaida qui tenteraient de s'échapper par la mer. (Cols Bleus n°2636 - 2 et 9 novembre 2002)
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Netmarine.
(patrol operations in the Gulf of Oman)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rickusn
I notice you have been busy at defensetalk spewing the same misinformation.
I may talk with the administrators there soon also.
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Maybe you might want to point out such false information to me in the relevant threads over there so i actually know where i am misinforming other people.