Tonnerre (L9014)

The "Tonnerre" (L9014) is an amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the French "Marine Nationale", the fourth vessel to bear the name, and second ship of her class.

She was launched on 26 July 2005 and joined active service in December 2006.

Medical capabilities

The "Tonnerre" features a fully capable 69-bed hospital (as much as a 40 000 inhabitant town), with a triage room, a shock room, two surgery rooms, a room for treatment of burn injuries, a telesurgery room, and radiology equipment, including a scanner.

In normal time, the ship has a medical doctor, two nurses, and 19 medicalised beds. The helicopter hangar can be converted to a campaign hospital to improve medical capabilities. If needed, modular elements can be added to provide four surgical rooms and accommodate a 100-person medical team, including 12 surgeons.

Construction

The "Tonnerre" was constructed in two segments, the bow part in Saint-Nazaire, and the aft part in Brest. She uses a completely electric propulsion system, with two pods at the aft and one maneuver pod at the bow; this allows for a turning radius of 289 metres. The ship remains almost horizontal when she turns, and can maneuver efficiently even at small speed, which eases helicopter operations. Built according to civilian standards, the "Tonnerre" complies with MARPOL antipollution requirements.

The space for the crew and passengers is unusually large, since the "Tonnerre" is designed to spend three months in a row at sea, in accordance with the "mobile base" doctrine. The ship features an all-purpose sport room and large common areas. The crew lives in 4-person cabins fitted with sanitary equipment, which allows the ship to accommodate a mixed crew.

Military equipment

The "Tonnerre" is equipped with combat detection systems linked to a SENIT 9 system that allows integrated sharing of information between units of a fleet. The communication systems and other equipment allow the "Tonnerre" to host a 200-person general staff.

She is capable of deploying 16 NH90 or Tigre helicopters, or 35 Aérospatiale Gazelle. and has reinforced forward pod, as to be able to accommodate 30-tonne helicopters such as the CH-53E Super Stallion; four landing barges or two LCAC; and 70 vehicles, including 13-tank Leclerc battalion, with up to 450 soldiers (900 for a short period).

The "Tonnerre" features light, short-range missiles and cannons for last-resort self-defence.

See also

* List of ship launches in 2005

External links

* [http://www.alabordache.com/marine/espacemarine/marine/commandement/tonnerre/index.php BPC Tonnerre] Force Projection and Command Ship Tonnerre on Alabordache