 Somme inToulon harbour, May 2009 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Somme |
| Namesake | Somme river |
| Builder | Normed,La Seyne, France |
| Laid down | 3 May 1985 |
| Launched | 3 October 1987 |
| Commissioned | 7 March 1990 |
| Homeport | Brest, France |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | In service |
| General characteristics of French ships | |
| Type | Durance-classreplenishment oiler andcommand ship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 157.2 m (515 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in) |
| Draught |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 162 |
| Sensors and processing systems | 2 x DRBN 34 radars |
| Armament |
|
| Aviation facilities | Medium helicopter pad |
TheFrench tankerSomme is aDurance-class command and replenishmenttanker (French:Bâtiment de commandement et de ravitaillement, BCR) of theFrench Navy. In addition to its primary duty as a fleet tanker,Somme is configured as aflagship and has served as such in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was constructed atLa Seyne, France beginning in 1985 and entered service in 1990. As of 2023, with the retirement of her sister shipMarne, she is the last vessel of her class in service with the French Navy.
In October 2009, the ship was mistakenly attacked bypirates off thecoast of Somalia. The attack was repelled and the pirates captured.
In French service, the final threeDurance-classtankers are calledBâtiment de commandement et ravitailleur (BCR, "command and replenishment ship").[1] In addition to their role as a fleet tanker, the three ships dubbed BCR can accommodate an entire general staff and thus supervise naval operations as acommand ship.[2] The three ships of the class designated BCRs,Var,Marne andSomme all have superstructures that were extended aft by 8 m (26 ft) to accommodate the additional staff requirements. The BCRs have one crane positioned along the centreline.[3]
Somme has a standard displacement of 7,900 t (7,800 long tons) and 18,800 t (18,500 long tons) at full load. The oiler is 157.3 metres (516 ft 1 in)long overall and 149 m (488 ft 10 in)between perpendiculars with abeam of 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in) and adraught of 8.65 m (28 ft 5 in) empty and 10.8 m (35 ft 5 in) at full load.Somme is powered by twoSEMT Pielstick 16 PC2.5 V 400diesel engines turning two LIPScontrollable pitch propellers rated at 15,000kilowatts (20,000 hp). The vessel has a maximum speed of 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) and a range of 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[1][4]
Somme has two dual solid/liquid underway transfer stations per side and can replenish two ships per side and one astern.[3] The ship initially had capacity for 5,170 t (5,090 long tons) offuel oil, 3,360 t (3,310 long tons) ofdiesel fuel, 1,160 t (1,140 long tons) of JP-5aviation fuel, 250 t (250 long tons) of distilled water, 180 t (180 long tons) of provisions, 170 t (170 long tons) of munitions and 15 t (15 long tons) of spare parts.[4] These numbers change with the needs of the fleet.[1]
TheDurance-class tankers all mount aflight deck over the stern and ahangar. The ships utiliseAérospatiale Alouette III andWestland Lynx helicopters but are capable of operating larger ones from their flight deck. For defence,Somme initially mounted oneBofors 40 mm/L60anti-aircraft (AA) gun in a singlegun turret and two 20 mm (0.8 in) AA guns in a twin turret.[4] The ship is equipped with two DRBN 34 navigationalradars. The armament was later altered by removing the 20 mm guns and adding four 12.7 mm (0.5 in)M2 Browning machine guns and three launchers forSimbad Mistralsurface-to-air missiles. The ship has a complement of 162 and is capable of accommodating 250 personnel.[1]
The fifth and final tanker of theDurance class was ordered in March 1984 as part of the 1984–1988 plan. The vessel waslaid down on 3 May 1985 byNormed at their yard inLa Seyne, France.[1][2] Named for ariver in France, the ship waslaunched on 3 October 1987 and given thepennant number A 631.Somme wascommissioned into theFrench Navy on 7 March 1990. TheDurance-class ships were assigned to theForce d'action navale (FAR, "Naval Action Force") after entering service. One of the BCRs is assigned to Indian Ocean asflagship of the French naval forces in the region.[1] The ship is home ported inBrest, France.[5]
In April 2008, the commander ofALINDIEN, the French command in the Indian Ocean, commanded the strike fromSomme that freed the yachtLe Ponant fromSomali pirates.[6] Serving as the command vessel for the French forces participating inOperation Atalanta,Somme was attacked approximately 250 nautical miles (460 km; 290 mi) off the Somali coast in the night of 6 to 7 October 2009 by two motorboats of Somali pirates who mistookSomme for a civilian ship.Somme repelled theassault rifle attack without sustaining damage or casualties and captured five of the pirates.[7][8] Again on 20 April 2010, Somali pirates in a skiff mistakenly attackedSomme, firing at the vessel with automatic weapons. The French crew returned three warning shots and pursued the attackers, discovering a pirate mothership with two pirates on board. The four pirates in the skiff along with the two on the mothership were taken into custody.[9]
At the end of 2018,Somme underwent a refit at Brest, returning to service on 5 June 2019.[10] In October 2019,Somme was deployed as part of Operation Corymbe, the French naval mission to theGulf of Guinea, marking the first time a command ship was deployed there. During the deployment,Somme participated in the Africannaval exercise Grand African Nemo with 18 African nations.[5]
As of late 2021, of the original fiveDurance-class ships in the French Navy, onlySomme and her sister shipMarne remained in service. The last two ships were expected to be replaced by the newJacques Chevallier-class vessels and retire between 2022 and 2025.[11] In 2022 it was indicated thatSomme would continue in service until 2027 when she is planned to be replaced by the third of theJacques Chevallier-class support ships,Émile Bertin.[12]
