Poster tampion french frigate surcouf

The Surcouf frigate is the second ship of the La Fayette class, comprising five units in total in the French Navy. Launched in 1993 and carrying the visual designator F711, she has been sponsored by the city of Saint-Malo since 2000. This stealthy light frigate was designed to defend France's maritime interests in remote areas, and she can also accomplish various missions such as integration into intervention forces, protection of maritime traffic, support for carrier battle groups, as well as special or humanitarian operations.

In 2013, the ship was in operational readiness in Toulon. In 2017, it was fitted with a BlueWatcher sonar from Thales. During her long crossing to assess her admission to service, the Surcouf made stops outside her home port. In October 1994, he gave the start of the Route du Rhum in Saint-Malo. In 2013 he took part in Operation Atalanta by arresting suspected pirates with an American ship, but these were later acquitted. In 2014, he sailed in the Black Sea in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. In 2015 he joined Combined Task Force 150 for a few weeks.

The frigate also participated in counter-drug trafficking operations, intercepting significant quantities of drugs. She was also involved in the 2018 Joan of Arc mission, conducting exercises alongside Italian and Cypriot ships. In May 2021, the Surcouf took part in a multinational exercise with other ships of the Jeanne d'Arc mission.