# D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso

The D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos, also known as the A69 type avisos, is a class of French Navy avisos, comparable in size to a light corvette, mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions, notably in support missions with the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). Built on a simple and robust design, they have an economical and reliable propulsion system which allows them to be used for overseas presence missions. In addition to service in France, they have been ordered by the South African Navy (not delivered), Argentinian Navy and Turkish Navy.
The class takes its name from the lead ship, named in honour of Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves, a French naval officer and member of the French Resistance.

## Design and description

The D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos were primarily designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) in coastal areas and colonial coastal patrol. They were ordered as replacements for the E 50 and E 52 type escorteurs of the French Navy. The ships are built austerely and have a standard displacement of 1,100 tonnes (1,100 long tons) and 1,270 tonnes (1,250 long tons) at full load. The avisos are 80 metres (262 ft 6 in) long overall and 76 metres (249 ft 4 in) between perpendiculars with a beam of 10.3 metres (33 ft 10 in) and a draught of 5.3 metres (17 ft 5 in).
The avisos are propelled by two shafts turning controllable pitch propellers powered by two SEMT Pielstick 12 PC 2 V400 diesel engines rated at 8,900 kilowatts (12,000 bhp). The two engines are located in a single engine room mounted next to each other and controlled from a room abaft the machinery room. The two diesel engine system was selected due to the preference of endurance over speed. The D'Estienne d'Orves class has a maximum speed of 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). All ships in the class are fitted with fin stabilisers except for Commandant Ducuing and Commandant Birot.
The class was intended to be constructed in two groups, the A 69 and A 70 types, with the latter type fitted with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles (SSM) on either side of the funnel, but in the end, all ships of the class were fitted with the SSMs. The ships are armed with a 100 mm (3.9 in) CADAM gun turret with Najir fire control system and CMS LYNCEA, a pair of 20 mm (0.8 in) modèle F2 guns and four 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns. For ASW operations, the D'Estienne d'Orves class mounts four fixed catapults for L3 or L5 type torpedoes with no reloads carried and one remote-controlled sextuple 375 mm (14.8 in) rocket launcher, with 30 reloads carried in a magazine located beneath the aft deckhouse.
The D'Estienne d'Orves class is equipped with one air/surface DRBV 51A sentry radar, one DRBC 32E fire control radar one Decca 1226 navigation radar and DUBA 25 hull-mounted sonar. The DUBA 25 is situated in a fixed dome with a retractable transducer, but is designed strictly for use in coastal waters. As countermeasures the avisos have one ARBR 16 radar interceptor, two Dagaie decoy launchers and one SLQ-25 Nixie countermeasure system, which was fitted in the mid-1980s. The ships have a complement of 90 and have space to accommodate 18 marines.

### Modifications

Beyond the Nixie countermeasure system, the funnels aboard the avisos were heightened due to issues with the gases coming from them. Commandant L'Herminier had SEMT Pielstick 12 PA 6 BTC diesels with infrared suppression systems installed which led to delays into the vessel's entry into service. In 1993, Commandant Blaison and Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubert had their rocket launchers removed and a Syracuse II satcom terminal installed. Plans were drawn up to give the two ships a hangar and flight deck for helicopters, but this was abandoned.
From 2009, the remaining vessels in French service were reclassified as offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and, as a result, had their surface-to-surface missiles and heavy anti-submarine weapons removed. The remaining vessels in the class are being incrementally withdrawn from service between 2024 and 2027.
Replacement of these vessels in French service is currently planned from about 2026 by a new class of patrol vessels.

## Ships in the class

French Navy construction data :
| Pennant no. | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| F 781 | D'Estienne d'Orves | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 September 1972 | 1 June 1973 | 10 September 1976 | Decommissioned 1999, transferred to Turkey as TCG Beykoz (F-503) |
| F 782 | Amyot d'Inville | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 September 1973 | 30 November 1974 | 13 October 1976 | Decommissioned 1999, transferred to Turkey as TCG Bartın (F-504) |
| F 783 | Drogou | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 October 1973 | 30 November 1974 | 30 September 1976 | Decommissioned 2000, transferred to Turkey as TCG Bodrum (F-501); decommissioned from Turkish service 2022 |
| F 784 | Détroyat | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 15 December 1974 | 31 January 1976 | 4 May 1977 | Decommissioned 1997, scrapped at Ghent, Belgium in 2015 |
| F 785 | Jean Moulin | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 15 January 1975 | 31 January 1976 | 11 May 1977 | Decommissioned 1999, scrapped at Ghent, Belgium in 2015 |
| F 786 | Quartier-Maître Anquetil | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 August 1975 | 7 August 1976 | 4 February 1978 | Decommissioned 2000, transferred to Turkey as TCG Bandırma (F-502) |
| F 787 | Commandant de Pimodan | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 September 1975 | 7 August 1976 | 20 May 1978 | Decommissioned 2000, transferred to Turkey as TCG Bozcaada (F-500) |
| F 788 | Second-Maître Le Bihan | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 November 1976 | 13 August 1977 | 7 July 1979 | Decommissioned 2002, transferred to Turkey as TCG Bafra (F-505) |
| F 789 | Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | March 1977 | 16 September 1978 | 13 February 1980 | Decommissioned 2020 |
| F 790 | Lieutenant de vaisseau Lavallée | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 11 November 1977 | 29 May 1979 | 16 August 1980 | Decommissioned 2018 |
| F 791 | Commandant L'Herminier | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 7 May 1979 | 7 March 1981 | 19 January 1986 | Decommissioned 2018 |
| F 792 | Premier-Maître L'Her | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 15 December 1978 | 28 June 1980 | 5 December 1981 | Decommissioned June 2024; sunk as a target ship in December 2024 |
| F 793 | Commandant Blaison | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 15 November 1979 | 7 March 1981 | 28 April 1982 | In service; retirement planned in 2027 |
| F 794 | Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | April 1979 | 29 September 1981 | 23 October 1982 | In service; retirement planned in 2026 |
| F 795 | Commandant Ducuing | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 1 October 1980 | 26 September 1981 | 17 March 1983 | In service; retirement planned in 2025 |
| F 796 | Commandant Birot | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 23 March 1981 | 22 May 1982 | 14 March 1984 | In service; retirement planned in 2025 |
| F 797 | Commandant Bouan (ex-Commandant Levasseur) | Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France | 12 October 1981 | 23 May 1983 | 11 May 1984 | In service; retirement planned in 2026 |

## South African and Argentine navies

The Argentine Navy also operated three D'Estienne d'Orves-class ships, locally known as the Drummond class. The first two ships, originally named Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff and Commandant L'Herminier while under construction for the French Navy, were originally acquired by the South African Navy in 1976. In the French Navy they were replaced by new ships with the same names. The two ships were renamed Good Hope and Transvaal, but due to UN sanctions against South Africa, they were not delivered and were bought by the Argentine Navy on 25 December 1978. They were renamed ARA Drummond and ARA Guerrico. A third ship of the class, ARA Granville, was ordered by Argentina and was delivered in 1981. All vessels had been retired as of 2024.

## Turkish Navy

Starting in November 2000, Turkey acquired six Type A 69 avisos. They were acquired for the Turkish Navy for coastal patrol in order to release more capable Turkish ships for frontline duty. Five of the six vessels were refitted at Brest before transfer.

## Citations

* ↑ Gardiner & Friedman 1983, p. 41.
* 1 2 3 4 5 "Patrouilleurs: Les avisos français sur tous les fronts" [Patrol ships: French Avisos on all fronts.]. asafrance.fr (in French). 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
* 1 2 Sharpe 1990, p. 191.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 118.
* 1 2 Saunders 2009, p. 834.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Groizeleau, Vincent (6 May 2021). "La Marine nationale va rapidement désarmer ses derniers PHM" [The French Navy will quickly disarm its last PHM]. Mer et Marine (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
* ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (13 March 2023). "La Marine nationale n'obtiendrait que 7 nouveaux patrouilleurs hauturiers au lieu des 10 prévus". Mer et Marine.
* ↑ Vavasseur, Xavier (25 June 2020). "French Navy Ageing PHMs And PSPs Patrol Vessels To Be Replaced With 10 New OPVs". navalnews.com. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
* ↑ "Euronaval: First Details Of The Patrouilleurs Océanique (PO) Platform Unveiled". navalnews.com. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
* ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (24 August 2020). "Le Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Henaff retiré du service" [Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Henaff retired from service]. Mer et Marine (in French). Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
* ↑ "L'aviso PM L'Her tire sa révérence après 43 années de navigation". Marine Nationale (in French). 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
* ↑ "Premier Maître L'Her (F792) (+2024)".
* ↑ Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, pp. 4, 118.
* ↑ Germán Videla Solá, Mariano (2024-09-01). "La Armada Argentina retiró del servicio a la ARA Granville, la última de sus corbetas A-69". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-24.