Premier-Maître L'Her
History
France
NamePremier-Maître L'Her
NamesakePremier-Maître L'Her
BuilderArsenal de Lorient, Lorient
Laid down15 December 1978
Launched28 June 1980
Commissioned15 December 1981
DecommissionedExpected, 2024
HomeportBrest[1]
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeD'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso
Displacement
  • 1,100 t (1,100 long tons) standard
  • 1,270 t (1,250 long tons) full load
Length
  • 80 m (262 ft 6 in) oa
  • 76 m (249 ft 4 in) pp
Beam10.3 m (33 ft 10 in)
Draught5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
Speed23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph)
Range4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement90
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 Air/surface DRBV 51A sentry radar
  • 1 DRBC 32E fire control radar
  • 1 Decca 1226 navigation radar
  • 1 DUBA 25 hull sonar (removed from French ships when reclassified as OPVs)
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 1 ARBR 16 radar interceptor
  • 2 Dagaie decoy launchers
  • 1 SLQ-25 Nixie countermeasure system
Armament

Premier-Maître L'Her (F792) is a D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso in the French Navy.

Design

The aviso has a crew of 90 sailors, and vessels of this class have the reputation of being among the most difficult in bad weather. Their high windage makes them particularly sensitive to pitch and roll as soon as the sea is formed.

Their armament, consequent for a vessel of this tonnage, allows them to manage a large spectrum of missions. During the Cold War, they were primarily used to patrol the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean in search of Soviet Navy submarines. Due to the poor performance of the hull sonar, as soon as an echo appeared, the reinforcement of an ASM frigate was necessary to chase it using its towed variable depth sonar.[3]

Their role as patrollers now consists mainly of patrols and assistance missions, as well as participation in UN missions (blockades, flag checks) or similar marine policing tasks (fight against drugs, extraction of nationals, fisheries control, etc.). The mer-mer 38 or mer-mer 40 missiles have been landed, but they carry several machine guns and machine guns, more suited to their new missions.

Its construction cost was estimated at 270,000,000 French francs.[4]

Construction and career

Premier-Maître L'Her was laid down on 15 December 1978 at Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient. Launched on 28 June 1980 and commissioned on 15 December 1981.

On 1 January 2009, the ship which participated in the European anti-piracy mission Operation Atalanta east of the Gulf of Aden, responded twice to distress calls from a cargo ship under the flag of Panama. After the freighter's second distress call, the pirates having fled shortly before during the first. The aviso spotted and then stopped the two pirate boats on board which were eight Somalis, armed with six AK-47 assault rifles and a RPG-7 rocket launcher. The suspected pirates were then held aboard the ship en route to the Somali coast to hand them over to the authorities of this country.[5]

In February 2013, the ship participated in Operation Serval for one month.

From 21 October to 20 December 2017, the vessel was engaged in the EU Navfor Med Sophia mission during which it participated in the rescue of two boats in difficulty. The ship was notably in the area during the events of 6 November 2017.[6]

From 29 March to 15 April 2019, the ship participated in the NATO military exercise Exercise Joint Warrior. Despite the vessel's weak means of detection, the ship was appointed lead of the anti-submarine warfare force.[7] In December 2022, the Navy Mini Drone System (SMDM) was installed on the ship to enhance its surveillance capabilities. The drone was described as being able to film and photograph and track, in real time, targets up to 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) distant from the ship.[8]

In January 2023 Premier-Maître L'Her arrived for a three-month deployment in the Gulf of Guinea for counter-illegal fishing and counter-smuggling operations.[9]

Premier-Maître L'Her is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2024 and eventually be replaced by one of a new class of ocean-going patrol vessels (the Patrouilleurs Hauturiers).[10]

Citations

  1. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (17 July 2020). "L'Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet prend ses quartiers à Brest" [L'Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet takes up residence in Brest]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Patrouilleurs: Les avisos français sur tous les fronts" [Patrol ships: French Avisos on all fronts.]. asafrance.fr (in French). 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Euronaval: First details of the Patrouilleurs Océanique (PO) platform unveiled". Naval News. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Quid 1996. p. 2036. ISBN 2-221-08055-6.
  5. ↑ "Un navire français intercepte des pirates" [French ship intercepts pirates]. Le Figaro (in French). Agence France Presse. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Mare Clausum: The Sea Watch vs Libyan Coast Guard Case, retrieved 17 September 2021
  7. ↑ "Deux bâtiments brestois participent à l'entraînement Joint Warrior". www.colsbleus.fr. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Première mise en place du SMDM sur le PHM Premier-maître L'Her" [First installation of the SMDM on the PHM Premier-maître L’Her] (in French). Ministère de la Défense. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Opération Corymbe: Déploiement du patrouilleur de haute mer Premier-Maître L'Her dans le golfe de Guinée" (in French). Ministère des Armées. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (6 May 2021). "La Marine nationale va rapidement désarmer ses derniers PHM" [The French Navy will quickly disarm its last PHM]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
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