Forbin (D620)
| Frigate Forbin | |
| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Claude Forbin-Gardanne |
| Ordered: | 27 October 2000 |
| Builder: | DCNS and Thales Group. Lorient shipyard |
| Laid down: | 16 January 2004 |
| Launched: | 10 March 2005 |
| Commissioned: | 2008 |
| In service: | as of 2009 |
| Homeport: | Toulon |
| Fate: | On trials |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Horizon class frigate |
| Displacement: | 7000 tonnes |
| Length: | 152,87 m |
| Beam: | 20,3 m |
| Draught: | 5,4 m |
| Propulsion: |
2 × 31280 HP GE/Avio LM2500 gas turbines |
| Speed: | 29 knots (18 on diesel) |
| Range: | 7000 nm at 18 knts, 3500 nmi at 25 knots |
| Boats and landing craft carried: | EDO, 20-seat EFRC, Hurricane 733 |
| Capacity: | 32 passengers or admiral staff |
| Complement: |
26 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
S-1850 LRR tri-dimensional sentry radar with IFF |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
Radar jammer |
| Armament: |
8 × Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 NH90 helicopter (radar ENR, sonar Flash, LADT 11, Marte missiles or MU90 Impact torpedoes) |
The Forbin is a large anti-air destroyer of the French Navy, lead ship of the Horizon class. Her first task is protecting aircraft carriers, capital ships or civilian ships from supersonic missile attacks; her complement of medium-range anti-air missiles allows her to support the defences of another ship under attack and avoid their saturation. She is also capable of monitoring and controlling operations carried out from the sea by friendly aircraft[1].
Forbin is the sixth vessel of the French Navy named after the 17th century admiral Claude Forbin-Gardanne.
Carrer
Building and fitting out
Construction of Forbin began in Lorient on 8 April 2002. The hull was built in 14 sections by a variety of subcontractors of DCN, including several companies from Saint-Nazaire. Each section is 7 metre high, and 16 to 20 metre long. Forbin was laid on 16 January 2004; the hull sections were transferred from Saint-Nazaire to Lorient on a barge tugged by Alcyon and assembled there from February 2004 to January 2005, finishing with the bow.
The engines were delivered by FiatAvio in September.
Forbin was launched on 10 March 2005, after part of the Scorff river was dragged to make depth enough for her draught. She was tugged out of her building dock by four tugboats at 16h15, taking advantage of the tide.
On 28 October, Forbin entered dry dock and underwater equipment were installed, notably the sonar, propellers and rudders.
Trials were held throughout 2006. Engine test started on 10 May, and she sailed for trials at sea on 29 June. Tuning of the combat management systems were particularly problematic, setting the completion of the ship off-schedule enough for her commissioning to be delayed by several months.
In late January 2007, Forbin underwent new extensive trials at sea, successfully testing her combat systems in exercises against Super-Etendard and Atlantique 2 aircraft. The PAAMS was tested in late May at the Centre d'Essais des Landes.
From 12 to 17, Forbin sailed to Toulon, her new home port, where her combat, detection and weapon systems were further finetuned. Forbin fired an Aster 30 at the test range of the DGA on 25 November.
First cruise
Forbin left Toulon on the 3rd of March 2009 for her first long cruise, visiting Morocco, the United States and Canada. She carried a Panther from squadron 36F of the Aviation navale to validate her air installations.
Forbin sailed to Casablanca, and then to Rio de Janeiro. She left Brazil on 30 March, bound for Martinique, where she arrived on 21 April[2]. and sailed on to Norfolk and New York, arriving on 24 April. During the transit, she carried excercices with USS Forrest Sherman[3]. A visit to Halifax was cancelled.
Forbin was back to France in May, where she took part in the naval parade of 8 May off Sainte-Maxime. On 25, she was at Abou Dhabi.
In June, Forbin operated with the USS Eisenhower carrier group, supporting operation Enduring Freedom and maritime security operations.
See also
Sources and references
| Forbin (D620)
]]- ↑ (French) Frégate Forbin (D 620), French ministry of Defence
- ↑ (French) Journal de bord, Ministry of Defence
- ↑ Forrest Sherman Teams with French Ship for PASSEX, Navy.mil
- Frigate Forbin Forbin on Alabordache (French)
- Netmarine.net Photographs of the construction and the launching (French)
