Mistral (L9013)
Encyclopedia
The Mistral (L9013) is an amphibious assault ship
Amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault...

, a type of helicopter carrier
Helicopter carrier
Helicopter carrier is a term for an aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters. The term is sometimes used for both ASW carriers and amphibious assault ships....

, of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

. She is the fourth vessel to bear the name, and is the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

 of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.

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
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...

, France set up Opération Baliste
Opération Baliste
Opération Baliste is the codename for the French aeronaval operation off Lebanon aiming at securing citizens of the European Union, since July 2006, in the context of the 2006 Lebanon War.- Components :...

. 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
Siroco (L 9012)
The Siroco is a Foudre class amphibious assault ship of the French Navy.Siroco was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 10 October to 25 November 1999....

.

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.

See also


External links

BPC Mistral Force Projection and Command Ship Mistral on Alabordache BPC Mistral Force Projection and Command Ship Mistral
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