This four-month deployment is similar to a “shakedown cruise”: It was intended to check the military characteristics of the vessel, its capabilities and equipment in real conditions, in a wide variety of environments and situations. In the French Navy, such deployments precede the official commissioning of the vessels.
After setting sail on April 8, 2023 from Toulon, Lorraine began its deployment in the Mediterranean before joining the Red Sea.
Sudan evacuation
Faced with the security deterioration observed in Sudan the frigate was redirected towards Port Sudan in order to meet the needs of the evacuation operation of nationals present in Sudan. At the request of the United Nations, Lorraine thus enabled the evacuation of 400 nationals on April 24 and 25 from Port-Sudan to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
Exercises with JMSDF
At the end of May, Lorraine reached the Northwest Pacific where it conducted coordination exercises with units of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF). As such, the French and Japanese units carried an exercise, south of the island of Shikoku and carried out air defense training. This cooperation enabled the sharing of know-how with high operational value.
According to Lorraine’s Commanding Officer, CAPT Xavier Bagot, another exercise focusing on anti-submarine warfare involved JS Kumano (FFM 2) and the lead Taigei-class submarine, JS Taigei. Taigei is the latest and most modern class of submarine in the JMSDF. It was the first time the French Navy conducted an ASW exercise with a JMSDF submarine. CAPT Bagot said the interaction with the Japanese was of high level and of really good quality.
Integration to US Navy CSG 5
Subsequently, Lorraine temporarily integrated Carrier Strike Group No. 5 based around the USS Ronald Reagan, alongside the Canadian and Japanese navies. These “Tri Carrier Operations” maneuvers have enabled Lorraine to shine in the field of air defence. The results of these two weeks of cooperation were positive since the combat system was tested in a particularly busy and complex tactical environment.
Indian Ocean
After a brief stop in the Indian islands of the Andamans and Nicobar, a strategic lock on the Strait of Malacca, Lorraine patrolled the Bay of Bengal before stopping off at Colombo in Sri Lanka. At the end of an exercise with a Sri Lankan corvette and a crossing in the rough waters of the Arabian Sea under monsoon, Lorraine made a final stop in Djibouti.
The long-term deployment ended with a final patrol in the Mediterranean, arriving in Toulon on August 2. In total, Lorraine has traveled 53,000 kilometers, sailing across 6 seas, two oceans and visiting 9 countries.
During this deployment, Lorraine conducted 12 port-calls (including in Tokyo and in Manilla) and carried out interactions with France’s main strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Lorraine is the eighth and final Aquitaine-class frigate for the French Navy and the second one in the Air Defense (FREMM DA) variant. She was delivered by Naval Group to the French Navy in November 2022. She departed her homeport of Toulon (Southern France) on April 8 to conduct her “long duration deployment”. She is now awaiting her formal commissioning.
