French Warships to Visit Dartmouth, UK

Officer Cadets under training at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) are due to meet their French Naval counterparts this weekend during a port visit to Dartmouth.

Four French Navy training ships will be visiting the town as part of the twinning arrangement between BRNC and École Navale in Brest.

FS Tigre and FS Panthere will be berthed alongside Admiralty Jetty at Sandquay, while FS Jaguar and FS Lynx will be harboured at Town Jetty. The 470 tonne vessels are crewed by Cadets from the École Navale and are primarily used for navigation training.

During their stay the French Naval Cadets will be given an opportunity to meet with their Royal Navy counterparts and swap their experiences of training so far.

A number of sporting fixtures between the two Navies have been arranged over the weekend using the facilities at BRNC, including football and volleyball.

The French Naval Cadets will take part in a training session on BRNC’s high ropes facility, which stands 13 metres high and is used to develop leadership.

As the ships sail on Monday, the French Naval Cadets are due to remain at the College to join the BRNC Cadets for their assessed leadership exercise on Dartmoor.

The twinning agreement between BRNC and the French École Navale came into being in January 2009 with the aim of developing the professional, cultural, social and sporting links that already existed between the Royal Navy and the French Navy.

Captain Jerry Kyd, the Commanding Officer of BRNC, said:

“The French Officer Cadets have visited us on a number of occasions and staff from the College have also been to the École Navale.

“There is a French liaison officer on the staff here in Dartmouth. The French ships were due to come here in February, but unfortunately the visit was cancelled due to the weather conditions and so we are delighted that they have been able to reschedule.

“The opportunity to meet and share experiences will be of mutual benefit to the Officer Cadets from both nations.”

The Commanding Officers of FS Jaguar and FS Lynx will pay a call on the Mayor of Dartmouth, Councillor Paul Allen, during the stay, and the French Navy will also host a small reception on board the FS Tigre for invited guests.

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Naval Today Staff, April 18, 2013; Image: Royal Navy