French Navy’s LSS Jacques Chevallier aces 1st sea trials

French Navy’s logistic support ship (LSS) Jacques Chevallier has completed its first sea trial sequence.

The vessel went to sea on maiden sea trials on 20 December. During this period, several platform systems have been tested by the Temporary Consortium to prepare for the next trials at sea.

The sea trial sequence from 25 until 28 January 2023  allowed carrying several platform’s trials with a dedicated focus on navigation. This sequence is the first step to the qualification and then the acceptance of the first class which will occur in several months.   

The shipbuilder Naval Group launched Jacques Chevallier, the first of the four force replenishment vessels (BRF – Bâtiments Ravitailleurs de Force in French) of the French Navy’s FLOTLOG program in May last year

The FlotLog program is part of Franco-Italian cooperation led by OCCAR on behalf of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and its Italian counterpart NAVARM, within the logistic support ship (LSS) program.

The BRFs, which will replace the French Navy’s Durance-class ships, have a mission of logistical support of the combat vessels of the French Navy deployed as part of the naval air group or naval task groups. With a capacity of 13,000 cbm, they carry fuel, ammunition, spare parts, as well as food for the vessels. These tankers will also participate to support missions for inter-allied operations, underlining the need for interoperable equipment.

Jacques Chevallier, named after the naval engineer and father of French nuclear propulsion, will carry up to 31,000 tons at full load, making it the second heaviest ship in the French Navy, after the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. It will be based in Toulon.