FS Georges Leygues

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Georges Leygues is a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. She is the second French vessel named after the XIX-XXth Century politician and minister of the Navy Georges Leygues.

Related Topics:
F70 type - Marine Nationale - Georges Leygues

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She is the tender for the Jeanne d'Arc.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Georges Leygues, lead ship of her class, has a long history. In 1981, the Georges Leygues and the fleet escort Guépratte, cruising in front of an allied fleet during training sessions, detected a Soviet submarine, which they chased during 19 hours. A rare instance of submarine warfare occurred, the Soviet submarine trying running at 28 knots and diving under the sonar of the Georges Leygues to try and avoid detection, before she was forced to surface, being formally identified as a Victor class submarine by the on-board Lynx WG13.

Related Topics:
Victor class submarine - Lynx WG13

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The same year, she intervened when the Iranian ship Tabarzin was capture by a commando hostile to the new regime, and routed to France. The commando reached France and required political refugee status, while the ship was returned to Iran.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From 1987, France and Iran having broken diplomatic relationships, and the Georges Leygues escorted commercial ships in the Persian Gulf.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1992, the Georges Leygues took part in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.

Related Topics:
Operation Restore Hope - Somalia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1999, she was partially transformed to accommodate student officers, and started tending the Jeanne d'Arc in the context of the training journeys of the French Naval Academy. The same year, catastrophic flooding occurred in Mozambic and the two ships were re-routed to deliver humanitarian aid.

Related Topics:
Jeanne d'Arc - Mozambic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004, the study journey was perturbed by the riots in Haiti which demanded the departure of President Aristid. The Jeanne d'Arc and the Georges Leygues were re-routed to assist French intervention there.

Related Topics:
Haiti - Jeanne d'Arc

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The same year, the two ships intervened in Indonesai after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are seven ships in the F70 class :

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• D640 Georges Leygues
• D641 Dupleix
• D642 Montcalm
• D643 Jean de Vienne
• D644 Primauguet
• D645 La Motte Picquet
• D646 Latouche-Tréville

Note: The French navy doesn't use the term "destroyer" for its ships; hence some large ships, referred to as "frigates", are registered as destroyers.

Related Topics:
Destroyer - Frigates

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~