Mistral Class - History - Design and Construction

Design and Construction

At Euronaval 1998, the French confirmed that they were planning to construct a series of vessels based on the BIP-19 concept. However, construction of two ships, Mistral and Tonnerre, was not received until 8 December 2000. A contract for construction was published on 22 December, and after receiving approval from the public purchase authority (Union des groupements d’achats publics, UGAP) on 13 July 2001, was awarded to Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and Chantiers de l'Atlantique at the end of July. An engineering design team was established at Saint-Nazaire in September 2001, and following consultation between DCA and the Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (General Delegation for Ordnance, DGA) began to study and adapt the BIP-19 design. In parallel, the general concept was being refined by DGA, DCN, the Chief of the Defence Staff and Chantiers de l'Atlantique. During the design and validation process, a 1/120th scale model was constructed and tested in a wind tunnel, revealing that in strong crosswinds, the height of the ship and elongated superstructures created turbulence along the flight deck. The design was altered to minimise these effects and provide better conditions for helicopter operations.

• Comparison between the BPC and the preceding TCD types.

• The Dixmude (L9015) dwarfing the stealth frigate Surcouf (F711) moored in Toulon

The ships were to be constructed at various locations in two major and several minor components, which would be united on completion. DCN, which was designated the head of construction and made responsible for 60% of the value of construction and 55% of the work time, assembled the engines in Lorient, combat systems in Toulon, and the rear half of the ship, including the island superstructure in Brest. STX Europe, a subsidiary of STX Shipbuilding of South Korea, constructed the forward halves of each ship in Saint-Nazaire, and was responsible for transporting them to DCN's shipyard in Brest for the final assembly. Other companies were involved in the construction: some of the construction work was outsourced to Stocznia Remontowa de Gdańsk, while Thales provided the radars and communications systems. It was predicted that each ship would take 34 months to complete, with design and construction for both ships costing 685 million Euros (approximately the same cost for a single ship based on HMS Ocean or USS San Antonio, and approximately the same cost as the preceding Foudre-class amphibious ships, which displaced half the tonnage of the Mistral-class ships and took 46.5 months to complete).

Starting from Dixmude, the rest of the French Mistrals and the first two of the Russian Mistrals will all be built in Saint-Nazire by STX France, which is jointly owned by STX Europe, Alstom and the French government, with STX Europe having the majority stake. DCNS will provide the ship's combat system.

• Assembly of the rear part of Mistral in Brest during September 2003

• Arrival of the forwards part of Mistral in Brest on 19 July 2004

DCN laid the aft keels for both ships in 2002; Mistral on 9 July, and Tonnerre on 13 December. Chantiers de l'Atlantique laid the keel of the forwards part of Mistral on 28 January 2003, and of Tonnerre later. The first block of the rear of Tonnerre was put in a dry dock on 26 August 2003, and that of Mistral on 23 October 2003. The two aft sections were assembled side by side in the same drydock. The forward section of Mistral left Saint-Nazaire under tow on 16 July 2004, and arrived in Brest on 19 July 2004. On 30 July, the combination of the two halves through a process similar to jumboisation began in dock no. 9. Tonnerre’s forward section arrived in Brest on 2 May 2005, and underwent the same procedure.

Mistral was launched on schedule on 6 October 2004, while Tonnerre was launched on 26 July 2005. Delivery of the ships were scheduled for late 2005 and early 2006 respectively, but was postponed for over a year because of problems with the SENIT 9 sensor system and deterioration to the linoleum floors of the forwards sections. They were commissioned into the French Navy on 15 December 2006 and 1 August 2007, respectively.