On 2 May 2017, the French Navy’s third B2M (Bâtiment Multi-Missions), the CHAMPLAIN, left Brest and mainland France for good, bound for her port-base on Reunion Island, which she will join at the end of June. In the southern Indian Ocean, the CHAMPLAIN will carry out presence, surveillance and protection missions for French interests in an exclusive economic zone covering more than 3 million km², including Réunion, Tromelin, Mayotte and the Southern Territories.
The first two B2Ms in the program, the ‘D’ENTRECASTEAUX’ based in Noumea, and the BOUGAINVILLE, based in Tahiti, were both commissioned in 2016. The CHAMPLAIN is the first French Navy vessel to be equipped with the new-generation COMCEPT satellite transmission system. This system provides a permanent high-speed telephone and IP link at sea.
Source : Press release French Navy
Leaving Brest in the morning, Captain Montastier and the crew of the CHAMPLAIN were keen to pay their respects to the PIRIOU shipyard with a visit to Concarneau Bay before heading off to their next destination!