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French Navy / Marine Nationale - Frigate
D 609 FS Aconit
 
d-609 aconit insignia crest patch badge tape de bouche frigate french navy d-609 fs aconit type f65 frigate corvette french navy marine nationale 02x arsenal lorient
03/22
Type, class: Frigate; (F65) class / unique unit / originally planned an built as Type C65 Corvette
Builder: Arsenal de Lorient, Brittany, France
 
STATUS:
Laid down: March 22, 1968 (as F 703, Type C65 Corvette)
Launched: March 7, 1970
Commissioned: March 30, 1973 (as F 703)
redesignated D 609 FS Aconit on January 1m 1974
redesignated to Type F65 Frigate in 1988
Decommissioned: February 27, 1997
Fate: laid up at Lanveoc / awaiting scrapping

 
Namesake: Aconite (flower)
 
Technical Data:

Displacement: 3870 tons (full load)
Length: 127 meters (417 feet)
Beam: 13,4 meters (44 ft)
Draft: 5,8 meters (19 ft)
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h), max.
Range: 1600 NM (3000 km) at 27 knots (50 km/h) / 5000 NM (9300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement: 232
 
Propulsion:
1 x Rateau steam turbine
28650 hp (21364 kW)
1 shaft, 1 propeller
 
Armament:
2 x DCN/GIAT 100mm/55-caliber Mod.68 Compact DP Gun
1 x Malafon anti-submarine missile launcher
2 x fixed single torpedo tubes for L5 torpedoes
1 x quadruple 305mm (12 inches) anti-submarine mortar
 
8 x MM40 Exocet SSM missiles (replacing the ASW-mortar in 1985)
2 x Oerlikon 20mm machine guns (added in 1992)
 

Aviation:
none
 
Systems:
DRBV-22A air search radar
DRBV-13 surveillance radar (replaced by DRBV-15A in 1985)
Decca 1226 navigation radar (replaced by DRBN-34A in 1992)
DRBC-32B fire control radar (replaced by DRBC-32D in 1992)
DUBV-23 hull active sonar (bow)
DUBV-43 towed active sonar
DSBV-62C towed passive sonar added in 1992
SLQ-25 Nixie towed decoy
ARBR-16 radar warning system
2 x SYLLEX chaff/decoy launchers

 
images

d-609 fs aconit type f65 frigate corvette french navy marine nationale 03

d-609 fs aconit type f65 frigate corvette french navy marine nationale 04 drawing
 
 
FS Aconit (D 609):
 
Aconit was a unique frigate built for the French Navy during the Cold War, in commission from 1973 until 1997. She was named after the corvette Aconit which fought in the Free French Naval Forces during World War II.

The Type C65 corvette was built to counter the improved performance of submarines in the 1960s, and was designed around two recently developed systems: the DUBV43 towed active sonar, and the Malafon anti-submarine missile. Although considered to be the ultimate evolution of the T 47 class, performance did not live up to expectations, and the development of the propulsion system took much longer than expected. The lack of facilities for landing helicopters was considered a significant drawback, and she was the last major warship built in France without them. Eventually the C65 programme, in which five ships were planned, was cancelled.

Aconit was laid down at the Arsenal de Lorient on 22 March 1968, launched on 7 March 1970 and commissioned on 30 March 1973. She was initially based at Toulon before transferring to Brest in 1975, having changed her pennant number from F703 to D609 on 1 January 1974.

The ship received several upgrades during her lifetime. In the 1970s she was fitted with the ARBR-16 radar detector and two Syllex chaff launchers. In 1984-85 she underwent a Indisponibilité pour Entretien et Réparations ("Unavailability for Maintenance and Repairs") during which the 305 mm anti-submarine mortar was replaced by eight Exocet MM40 missiles, and the DRBV-13 radar in the radome upgraded to the DRBV-15A.

In 1988 she was re-designated a Type F65 frigate.

Another IPER in 1992 added the DSBV62C towed passive sonar, two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, two 12.7 mm machine guns, and the Inmarsat and Syracuse satellite telecommunications systems. In addition, the Decca 1226 navigation radar was replaced with the DRBN34A, and the DRBC-32B radar was upgraded to the DRBC-32D.

Scheduled to be in service until 2004, she was decommissioned on 27 February 1997 as part of a Fleet Reduction Programme. As of 2010 she was laid up at the French Navy "graveyard" at Lanvéoc awaiting demolition.

source: wikipedia
 
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