Equipment / Aircraft / French tanker Somme

French tanker Somme

Transport Aircraftconfirmed

French tanker Somme

The French tanker Somme is a Durance-class command and replenishment tanker (French: Bâtiment de commandement et de ravitaillement, BCR) of the French Navy. In addition to its primary duty as a fleet tanker, Somme is configured as a flagship and has served as such in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was constructed at La Seyne, France beginning in 1985 and entered service in 1990. As of 2023, with the retirement of her sister ship Marne, she is the last vessel of her class in service with the French Navy. In October 2009, the ship was mistakenly attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The attack was repelled and the pirates captured.

Specifications

TypeTransport Aircraft
ManufacturerNormed, La Seyne, France
Introduced1990
StatusIn service
Length157.2 m
Speed19 kn
Range9,000 nmi
Crew162
Displacement18,500 t
Main armament1 x Bofors 40 mm/L60 gun * 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns * 3 x Simbad Mistral missile launcher

Operators

CountryQuantityConfidence
France—confirmed

Text adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo from Wikimedia Commons; see the Wikipedia article for author and license.

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