TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: LHD Tonnerre, a Landing Helicopter Docks and Anti-Submarine Warfare Destroyer (ASWD) Georges Leygues docked at the Mormugao Harbour on Friday morning as part of Mission Jeanne d’Arc 2013 of the French Naval Academy.
The Mission Jeanne d’Arc 2013 commissioned on March 6, 2013 and travelled through the ports of Brest, Toulon in France and then performed exercises in Lebanon, Jordan, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Djibouti.
From India the mission will proceed to Singapore and after reaching its final destination ~Vietnam it will return to France by 23rd July. The mission also provides the midshipmen with European anti-piracy operation Atalanta.
The Joint Commander of the French Forces deployed in Indian Ocean, Vice Admiral Marin Gillier; Captain Jean Francois Querat, Commanding officer of LHD Tonnerre, Commander Romauld Bomont, Commanding Officer of ASWD Georges Leygues and French Consulate General in Mumbai were present at the media interaction.
The French Ambassador Francois Richier was in Goa to welcome the French amphibious group ‘Mission Jeanne d’Arc 2013’.
Richier told media that the French have an investment of about USD 18 billion and that he hoped “that the economic cooperation between the countries will increase in future.”
Speaking about the technological prowess of his country, he said that Russia has shown keen interest in French technology and four Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) are being built for the Russians in France.
Richier said while interacting with media on-board LHD Tonnerre.
Mission Jeanne d’Arc is an annual mission conducted to train the potential officers of the naval academy since 2010 and is part of bi-lateral cooperation of the French Navy with countries across the globe.
In India, the French navy conducts ‘Varuna’ exercise alongwith the Indian Navy.
The LHD Tonnerre is a unique multi-utility naval vessel that performs four tasks ~ it has amphibious capacity with hangers to carry troops and vehicles, helicopter carrier, command ship to accommodate 670 staff and fully equipped 75 bedded hospital.
The ASWD Georges Leygues is the escort vessel to provide safety to LHD Tonnerre and part of the training mission. Currently 133 cadets of the French Naval Academy are on-board LHD Tonnerre and 18 officers from 15 other nations and an Indian Officer will be joining the mission from Mormugao Harbour.
The LHDs apart from training to the midshipmen also performs humanitarian missions in times of crisis and emergency. In 2010 LHD Tonnerre performed relief operation during the Haiti earthquake and in 2011 LHD Mistral helped evacuate refugees of Libya in Tunisia.
