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Durance-class tanker
ARA Patagonia
ARA Patagonia (ex-Durance) in Ushuaia
Class overview
Name: Durance
Operators: Civil and Naval Ensign of France French Navy
Flag of Argentina Argentine Navy
Naval Ensign of Australia Royal Australian Navy
Naval Ensign of Saudi Arabia Royal Saudi Navy
Completed: 6
Active: 6
General characteristics
Type: Replenishment oiler
Displacement:

7,600 tonnes (empty)

17,800 tonnes (full load)
Length: 157.2 m
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught:

8.65 metres (average)

10.80 metres full load
Propulsion: 2 × Pielstick 16 PC2-5 V 400 diesel engines, two shafts
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range: 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried:

1 LCVP
1 9-metre boat

2 rigid-hulled inflatable boats
Complement: 8 officers
62 non-commissioned officers
89 sailors
Sensors and
processing systems:
2 DRBN 34 radars
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
1 SLQ-25 Nixie towed jammer
Armament:

1 Bofors 40 mm guns
6 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns

1 Simbad Mistral missile launcher
Aviation facilities: Medium helicopter pad

The Durance class is a series of multi-product replenishment oilers, originally designed and built for service in the French Navy. Besides the five ships built for the French Navy, a sixth was built for the Royal Australian Navy, while the lead ship of the class currently serves with the Argentine Navy.

French Navy[]

Five ships of the class were built for the French Navy:

  • Durance (A629)
  • Meuse (A607)
  • Var (A608)
  • Marne (A630)
  • Somme (A631)

In French service, the ships are dubbed Bâtiment de commandement et ravitailleur (BCR, "command and replenishment ship"): in addition to their role as a fleet tanker, than can harbour an entire general staff and supervise naval operations. Admiral Indian (Ocean), the French Navy's command for the Indian Ocean region ALINDIEN, was permanently stationed aboard such a ship until 2010.

Durance has been sold to the Argentine Navy; the remaining four vessels are still in service as of 2008. Three ships of the class (Marne, Somme, and Var) are fitted out as flagships and can embark an admiral and his staff. It is planned that they will be replaced by four new double-hulled tankers between 2018 and 2021.[1] In October 2009, Somme repelled an attack by Somali pirates[2]

Royal Australian Navy[]

A single ship of the class was built, in Australia, for the Royal Australian Navy:

Argentine Navy[]

The leading ship of the class was sold to the Argentine Navy in 1999; she serves under the name ARA Patagonia (B-1)

Variant[]

References[]

External links[]



All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Durance-class tanker and the edit history here.
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