French ship Mistral (L9013)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Mistral.

Mistral (L9013) is an amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier, of the French Navy. She is the fourth vessel to bear the name, and is the lead ship of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.

Mistral in the Mediterranean Sea on 24 June 2020
History
France
Namesake	Wind Mistral
Builder	Arsenal de Brest, Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire
Laid down	10 July 2003 (aft section at Brest) 13 October 2003 (bow section at Saint-Nazaire)
Launched	6 October 2004 in Brest
Commissioned	February 2006
Homeport	Toulon
Identification	Pennant number: L 9013 Deck Code: MI
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Mistral-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement	16,500 t (16,200 long tons) (empty) 21,300 t (21,000 long tons) (full load) 32,300 t (31,800 long tons) (with ballasts)
Length	199 m (652 ft 11 in)
Beam	32 m (105 ft 0 in)
Draught	6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)
Propulsion	Motorisation : 2 × Mermaïd electric motors (2 × 7 MW) 2 × 5-bladed propellers Electrical plant: 4 × Wärtsilä diesels-alternators 16 V32 (6.2 MW) + 1 × Wärtsilä Vaasa auxiliary diesel-alternator 18V200 (3 MW)
Speed	18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph)
Range	10,800 km (6,700 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) 19,800 km (12,300 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity	2 barges, one Leclerc battalion, 70 vehicles
Complement	20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 quartermasters, 450 passengers (900 for a short cruise), 150 men operational headquarter
Armament	2 × Simbad systems 2 × 30 mm Breda-Mauser 4 × 12.7 mm M2-HB Browning machine guns
Aircraft carried	16 heavy or 35 light helicopters

Construction and career

Mistral at the military port of Toulon in 2006

Mistral began sea trials in January 2005, and was commissioned in February 2006. She departed from Toulon for her first long-range journey in March, sailing through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, and the Red Sea to Djibouti and India, before returning to France. In July, to ensure the safety of European citizens in the context of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, France set up Opération Baliste. Mistral was the flagship of the fleet unit off Lebanon, escorted by the frigates Jean Bart and Jean de Vienne, and along with another amphibious assault ship, Siroco.

On 16 May 2008, the Burmese United Nations (UN) ambassador accused France of deploying Mistral to the Burmese coast for military purposes. The French UN ambassador denied this, stating that she was instead carrying 1,500 tons of relief supplies.^[1]

In March 2011 Mistral was deployed to Libyan waters to help aid the joint NATO effort to repatriate tens of thousands of Egyptian refugees fleeing the violence in Libya.^[2]

In January 2013, escorted by Chevalier Paul, Mistral took part in the ill-fated operation to retrieve Denis Allex,^[3] a DGSE officer held hostage in Bulo Marer.

On 22 May 2022, Mistral, operating in the Gulf of Guinea in conjunction with the La Fayette-class frigate, Courbet, was involved in the seizure of almost two tons of drugs.^[4]