French minesweeper Vulcain

Vulcain (M611) is a Vulcain-class minesweeper of the French Navy. She is classed by the French Navy as a BBPD type vessel (French: bâtiment-base de plongeurs démineurs) and is used as a base ship for clearance divers. She is based in Cherbourg Naval Base, in Cherbourg, France, and is run by the 1st GPD Groupement de Plongeurs démineurs, a group of French Army clearance divers. Since 16 May 1987, she has been symbolically linked with the town of Honfleur. The personnel on board usually comprises 12 divers, 1 medical officer and 1 nurse.

Vulcain at Caen in 2013
History
France
Name: Vulcain
Builder: Chantiers et ateliers de la Perrière, Lorient
Laid down: 15 May 1985
Launched: 17 January 1986
Commissioned: 11 October 1986
Identification:
Status: Active in service
General characteristics
Type: Vulcain-class minesweeper
Tonnage: 490 DWT
Displacement: 409 tonnes
Length: 41.6 m (136 ft 6 in)
Beam: 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Draught: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Installed power: 2,200 hp
Propulsion:
  • 2 x SACM-Wärtsilä diesel engines
  • 1 x bow thruster (70 hp)
Speed: 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Range:
  • 7,400 nmi (13,700 km; 8,500 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph)
  • 2,850 nmi (5,280 km; 3,280 mi) at 13.5 kn (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Complement:
  • 1 officer
  • 10 petty officers
  • Quartermasters and sailors
Armament: 2 x AA-52 machine guns

Other BBPDs of the Vulcain type are:

  • BBPD Styx - M614
  • BBPD Pluton - M622
  • BBPD Achéron - A613

See also
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