History
The Mistral started her trials in January 2005, and was officially commissioned in February 2006. She departed from Toulon for her first long-range journey in March, sailing through the Mediterranean, Suez, and the Red Sea to Djibouti and India, before returning to France.
In July, to ensure the safety of European citizens in the context of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, France set up Opération Baliste. The Mistral is the flagship of the system off Lebanon, escorted by the frigates Jean Bart and Jean de Vienne, and along with the Siroco.
On 16 May 2008, the Burmese UN ambassador accused France of deploying the Mistral to the Burmese coast for military purposes, which the French UN ambassador denied, stating that she was instead carrying 1,500 tons of relief supplies.
In February 2010 it was announced that France had agreed to sell Russia a Mistral with a potential option for three more vessels. June 17, 2011 Russia and France signed $1.7bln deal for mistral carrier
In March 2011 she was deployed to Libyan waters to help aid the joint UK-French effort to repatriate tens of thousands of Egyptian refugees fleeing the violence in Libya.
Read more about this topic: French Ship Mistral (L9013)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human spirit.”
—Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)
“Perhaps universal history is the history of the diverse intonation of some metaphors.”
—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986)
“Don’t you realize that this is a new empire? Why, folks, there’s never been anything like this since creation. Creation, huh, that took six days, this was done in one. History made in an hour. Why it’s a miracle out of the Old Testament!”
—Howard Estabrook (1884–1978)