French ship Dixmude (L9015)

Dixmude (L9015) is an amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier, of the French Navy. She is the third vessel to bear the name, and is the third ship of the Mistral class.

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Dixmude.
BPC Dixmude in Jounieh bay, Lebanon 2012.
History
France
NameDixmude
NamesakeFusiliers Marins at the battle of Diksmuide[1]
BuilderChantiers de Saint-Nazaire
Cost€451.6m[2] (FY 2012)
Laid down20 January 2010 at Saint-Nazaire[1]
Launched17 September 2010[3]
Commissioned27 December 2012
HomeportToulon
Identification
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class and typeMistral-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement
  • 16,500 t (empty)
  • 21,300 t (full load)
  • 32,300 t (with ballast)
Length199 m (653 ft)
Beam32 m (105 ft)
Draught6.3 m (21 ft)
Installed power4 × Wärtsilä 16V32 (4 × 6.2 MW (8,300 hp))
PropulsionDiesel-electric; two Rolls-Royce Mermaid azimuth thrusters (2 × 7 MW (9,400 hp)) with 5-bladed fixed pitch propellers
Speed18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph)
Range
  • 5,800 nautical miles (10,800 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
  • 10,700 nautical miles (19,800 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity2 barges, one Leclerc battalion, 70 vehicles
Complement
  • 20 officers
  • 80 petty officers
  • 60 quarter-masters
  • 450 passengers (900 for a short cruise)
  • 150-man operational headquarter
Armament
Aircraft carried16 heavy or 35 light helicopters

Dixmude was delivered to the French defence procurement agency on 3 January 2012, three months ahead of schedule.[5]

Service history

In January 2013, Dixmude took part in Operation Serval, ferrying elements of the 92ème Régiment d'Infanterie to Mali.[6]

In April 2016, it was announced she would be part of the Anglo-French military exercise CJEX.[7]

In July 2018, the ship docked in Haifa port, Israel for a joint exercise with the Israeli Navy.[8]

In April 2020, the ship operated as part of a joint British, French and Dutch naval task force in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in overseas territories in the Caribbean. RFA Argus was also present as the UK's commitment to supporting British Overseas Territories along with HMS Medway as the Caribbean guard ship.[9]

In February 2023, Dixmude was tasked to initiate an around the world deployment accompanied by the frigate La Fayette. The deployment was to involve a series of exercises and port calls en route, including at several French overseas territories. For the deployment, Dixmude embarked one of the new EDA-S landing craft, along with one EDA-R and one CTM landing craft.[10] The two vessels returned to Toulon in July.[11]

References
  1. Dixmude: mise sur cale du 3ème BPC (in French), French ministry of Defence.
  2. "Projet de loi de finances pour 2013 : Défense : équipement des forces" (in French). Senate of France. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-26. Dixmude cost France €451.6m at FY2012 prices
  3. BPD Dixmude at EDA-R: la réponse aux nouvelles exigences de projection (in French), French ministry of Defence
  4. "Nexter presenting NARWHAL®, its remotely operated 20mm gun turret, at the Euronaval 2016 trade show between 17 and 21 October". nexter-group.fr. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  5. "DCNS and STX France Hand Over Mistral-Class Vessel BPC Dixmude". Shipbuilding Tribune. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  6. "Opération Serval : embarquement immédiat pour le 92ème RI". French Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. "UK and France launch rapid deployment exercise". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  8. "French ambassador lauds joint exercise with Israel Navy". Ynetnews. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  9. "RFA Argus and FS Dixmude in the Caribbean". 30 April 2020.
  10. Vavasseur, Xavier (3 February 2023). "French Mission Jeanne D'Arc 2023 To Sail Across Indo-Pacific". Naval News.
  11. Groizeleau, Vincent (17 July 2023). "Jeanne d'Arc : le PHA Dixmude et la frégate La Fayette sont rentrés à Toulon". Mer et Marine.

Further reading
  • Moulin, Jean (2020). Tous les porte-aéronefs en France: de 1912 à nos jours [All the Aircraft Carriers of France: From 1912 to Today]. Collection Navires et Histoire des Marines du Mond; 35 (in French). Le Vigen, France: Lela Presse. ISBN 978-2-37468-035-4.</ref>
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