The Bâtiment de Transport Léger (abbreviated BATRAL; “Light ferry ship”) are small landing ships of the French Navy. Also known as Champlain class by the lead ship,[2] they have been used for regional transport and patrol needs in French Overseas Departments and Territories since the 1970s.[1] On 9 January 2014 it was announced that the two remaining Batrals in French service would be replaced in 2015/16 by three (subsequently four) 1500-tonne Bâtiments Multimission (B2M) at a cost of ~€100m (US$136m).[1]
Design
The BATRALs can ferry over 400 tons of matériel, in the hangar and on the deck. Loading and unloading can be done from a harbour or on a beach. Two flat-bottom vessels allow unloading fifty men and light vehicles each. The accommodations are designed for a Guépard-type intervention unit (five officers, fifteen petty officers and 118 men), or for typical company-sized armoured units. A helicopter landing deck allows landing for light helicopters, and transfer to and from heavy helicopters.[citation needed]
History
The Chilean Navy purchased the plans and built three ships in the ASMAR shipyards in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Ships
- Champlain decommissioned
- Francis Garnier decommissioned
- Dumont D’Urville decommissioned in July 2017
- Jacques Cartier decommissioned[3]
- La Grandière decommissioned in 2016
- Maipo (LST-91) 1982–1998
- Rancagua (LST-92) 1983–present
- Chacabuco (LST-95) 1986–present
- L’Elephant
- President el Hadj Omar Bongo (L05)
- Daoud Ben Aicha (402)
- Ahmed Es Skali (403)
- Abou Abdallah El Ayachi (404)
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Francis Garnier at sea -
Francis Garnier in port -
Dumont D’Urville with her landing bow opened
See also
Equivalent landing ships of the same era
References
- ^ a b c Pape, Alex (9 January 2014). “France orders three new multimission vessels”. IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.
- ^ Champlain class
- ^ “Le Batral Jacques Cartier est rentré en France” [The landing ship Jacques Cartier returned to France]. Marine Nationale (in French). Ministère de la Défense. 15 July 2013.
