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Bijoy Venugopal in Bombay
Two French Navy ships, the antisubmarine frigate FNS De Grasse and the maintenance and repair vessel FNS Jules Verne arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Both ships are part of the Allied support to Operation Enduring Freedom and assist the US Navy in patrolling the Arabian Sea.
They will leave Mumbai on April 15 for joint exercises with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea.
Named after the French naval officer Comte François Joseph Paul de Grasse who commanded the French fleet in Chesapeake Bay during the 1781 American Revolution, FNS De Grasse is a first rank ASW frigate.
It is equipped with L5 torpedoes and carries Lynx WG13 helicopters with DUAV4 dipping sonar and Mk46 torpedoes.
The De Grasse was recently modernised with a special noise reduction system and the new antisubmarine sonar system, SLASM, which includes a torpedoes alert system. The vessel is also armed with anti-air and anti-surface weaponry, including EXOCET surface-to-surface missiles and two 100mm anti-aircraft guns.
The 5,800-ton destroyer is manned by a 298-strong crew, including three women.
Propelled by two 58,000-hp steam turbines and two non-variable pitch propellers, De Grasse can travel at a maximum speed of 30 knots.
"France has no enemies, our only enemies are terrorists," Captain Olivier Lajous, commanding officer of FNS De Grasse, said at a press conference aboard the Jules Verne.
"We are here to ensure that no Al Qaeda or Taliban people try to escape by sea," he said.
He added that French naval personnel conduct only 'compliant visits' on board ships that are intercepted in the Arabian Sea. "We never use force unless we are authorised by the United Nations," he said.
FNS Jules Verne is the largest support ship in the French Navy, and the only ship in the world with ISO 9002 certification.
Jules Verne is in the area for the operational support of the French naval fleet, nearly 50 per cent of which is deployed in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Commissioned in 1976, Jules Verne has industrial capabilities for electrical and electronics maintenance and weapons. It also has capabilities for logistics and humanitarian aid, including the production and supply of distilled water, a flight deck capable of landing all naval helicopters and a 16-bed hospital.
The vessel is manned by a crew of 305, including seven women. It is 151 metres long and can travel at a maximum speed of 19 knots. Commander Vincent Marquion is the commanding officer of FNS Jules Verne.
Both ships will be docked at Bombay for five days, during which the crew will interact extensively with Indian Navy personnel. The ships will then proceed for the Arabian Sea for joint exercises with the Indian Navy.
French aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle and Indian Navy's largest aircraft carrier INS Virat will hold separate joint exercises in the month of May.
"This will be the first meeting between Indian and French aircraft carriers," Captain Lajous said.
Photo: Jewella C Miranda
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