http://www.shipsmonthly.com • Summer 2018 • (^15)
ON ExERCISE
WITH THE US
FRENCH NAVY
France’s only aircraft carrier has
been refl oated after spending
more 14 months in dry dock. FS
Charles de Gaulle will undergo
several more months of work
at the Toulon Navy base as she
moves towards completion of a
€1.3 billion mid-life overhaul.
The work to make her available
for another 20 years’ service
has included replacing fuel
for her nuclear reactors and a
comprehensive upgrade of her
combat system, IT networks and
communications systems. The
fl ight deck has also been adapted
for ‘all-Rafale’ operations since
the withdrawal from service of the
Super Etendard aircraft.
During her absence, over 300
Rafale aircrew and maintenance
teams have maintained their skills
operating with the US Navy, with a
full French navy air wing operating
from the deck of the aircraft
carrier USS George H.W. Bush as
part of Exercise Chesapeake 2018
off the US East coast.
CHINA’S NEW CARRIER
The final Astute class SSN
will be the sixth RN vessel
to be named after the
Battle of Agincourt of 1415.
cRoWN coPYRiGhT
China’s second carrier is
rumoured to be named
Shandong (CV 17).
PLAN
China’s fi rst domestically
produced aircraft carrier has
conducted initial sea trials. The
as-yet-unnamed vessel, known as
Type 001A, left the Dalian shipyard
on 13 May for six days of power,
reliability and stability trials in
the Yellow Sea, with the Chinese
Maritime Security Administration
closing off an area of nearly
4,000km² to all other shipping.
The newbuild is a heavily
modifi ed version of Liaoning
(Type 001), which entered service
in 2012 after being completed
at the same shipyard from an
unfi nished Soviet-era Kuznetsov
class hull, acquired in the late
1990s. The 60,000-tonne half-
sisters share the same basic hull
design and Short Take-Off But
Arrested Recovery (STOBAR)
confi guration. The Type 001A
features updated propulsion and
combat systems, along with many
internal layout improvements.
China has begun construction of
a much larger vessel. The Type 002
will displace 88,000 tonnes and
have a Catapult Assisted Take-Off
But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR)
aircraft launch system.
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news
BRIEF NEWS
BRAZILIAN NAVY • The Marinha
do Brasil has opted to rename
their new helicopter carrier PHM
Atlântico (A140). The choice of
name for their fl agship has been
a hotly debated topic. With
Brazil having almost 7,500km of
coastline adjacent to the Atlantic
Ocean, the chosen name is a
fi tting one for the former HMS
Ocean. The PHM, which stands for
Port Helicopters Multi-purpose, is
due to be formally handed over at
Devonport on 29 June.
US NAVY • The US Navy is to
re-establish its Second Fleet
to formally bolster command
arrangements for the operation
of naval forces on the East Coast
and North Atlantic. The return to
the Cold War posture comes in
response to increasing Russian
activity in the region. The US
Department of Defense has
also offi cially offered to host the
proposed NATO Joint Force
Command for the Atlantic at its
naval facilities in Norfolk, Virginia.
ROYAL NAVY • The MoD’s
Defence Equipment Sales Authority
(DESA) has invited bids for the
sale of the former HMS Walney.
The Single Role Minehunter has
been laid up in Portsmouth since
decommissioning in 2010. The GRP-
hulled vessel, which has no engines
and is stripped of equipment, is
being offered for further use as
a houseboat, restaurant, fl oating
bar or as ‘an offi ce space packed
with individuality’, for a guide
price of £30,000.
FRENCH NAVY • The French
Armed Forces Ministry has
announced an imminent order for
the fi fth Barracuda class nuclear-
powered attack submarine. A
draft multi-year budget that
is set to run from 2019-25 also
includes funding for a sixth
SSN, with all the vessels already
allocated names. Delivery of
Suffren, the fi rst-of-class, is now
expected in 2020, three years
behind schedule, with Duguay-
Trouin, Tourville, Dupetit-Thouars,
Duquesne and De Grasse
following at two-yearly intervals.
SUB CONTRACTS SURFACE
ROYAL NAVY
The Ministry of Defence has
announced £2.5 billion of
investment in two submarine
projects, with contract awards
of £960 million for the second
phase of the Dreadnought SSBN
programme and £1.5 billion for
delivery of the seventh Astute class
SSN, to be named HMS Agincourt.
The Defence Secretary
announced news of the submarine
building projects during a visit to
BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-
in-Furness, where he opened the
new 26,700m² Central Yard Facility
as part of a major infrastructure
investment programme. To
support the build of Dreadnought,
the Barrow site is undergoing
redevelopment that will provide
a range of new and upgraded
capabilities, including an extension
to the Devonshire Dock Hall and
an 8,000m² Central Training
Facility. Rolls-Royce will receive
£60 million to further develop the
design of the Dreadnought’s PWR-
3 pressurised water reactor.
nandana
(Nandana)
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