To hold joint exercise with ENC ships off Vizag coast
French Navy personnel move inside the deck on board French Naval Warship Dixmude which was anchored in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Two French warships arrived in the city as part of the week-long courtesy call by the two navies.
Visakhapatnam: The French naval ships- Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), Dixmude and stealth frigate, Aconit, that are on a operational training mission – The Jeanne D’ Arc Mission — to cadets undergoing French naval course will participate in a joint operational exercise with the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), ships off Vizag coast on June 21 and 22. These two French naval ships have reached Vizag coast on Tuesday. For around 146 cadets of 2012 French Naval Academy, the mission is the first operational deployment. “This will make these young officers acquire solid military leader and seaman status through this embedded training, an experience of taking responsibilities opening their minds to the issues linked to this strategic area,” said LHD Dixmude commanding officer Captain Piere de Briançon here on Thursday.
A French amphibious task group, Mission Jeanne d’Arc 2015, composed of Dixmude and Aconit has been deployed on a mission from March to July 2015. The task group’s itinerary has brought it to the Indian Ocean from where it will set sail to the South China Sea, and thereafter to the Sea of Japan. “We have been on board at sea since three mon-ths. We have sailed from French coast on March 4 and so far it’s going well. We are very glad to be here. To promote French industry we also have an exhibition on board Dixmude. For the cadets, this is the best training they can have in the real life. This trip was ideal and everything went well,” he told reporters.
These cadets are from various professional backgrounds with 18 different nationalities. Among them are 79 lieutenants including 12 international trainee officers who joined the 2012 French Navy School. They come from Saudi Arabia, Cam-eroon, Madagascar, Togo and Tunisia.
For the cadets, evacuation of French nationals among others at Yemen has been as unexpected experience which is inte-resting for them, added Captain Piere de Briançon “There has been a long standing strategic partnership between India and France and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently visited Paris on a diplomatic mission. Both French and Indian navies have just participated in a joint exercise, Varuna, off Goa in May this year. We are looking forward for more such joint exercises for a strategic link between both the navies,” said Minister Counsellor from the Embassy of France in India at New Delhi, Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet.
Commanding officer of Aconit, Captain Jean-Pierre Helluy, said it was a good experience of sha-ring information from commanding officers of INS Mumbai and other ships involved in evacuation exercise at Yemen. The gigantic LHD Dixmude, having 14 decks, is multi-functional, having the capacity to carry 16 helicopters. It’s also called a hospital ship able to provide health support on combat operations or humanitarian crises. Fitted with a 5,200 sq meters flush deck, the French LHD is capable of operating simultaneously six helicopters on six spots. Two 13 tonne elevators are connected with the flight deck to the 1,800 sq meters hangar where they can be parked and maintained.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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