French Navy's second BRF support ship hits the water

French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique has launched a new logistic support ship ordered from the company by the French Navy. The future Jacques Stosskopf is the second in the second in a planned class of four naval auxiliary vessels that have been designated as Force Supply Ships (Batiments Ravitailleurs de Forces; BRF).

As with earlier sister Jacques Chevallier, the new BRF will be used primarily for the transport of marine and aviation fuel, fresh water, ammunition, food, and spare parts in support of deployed naval task forces, particularly the French Navy's sole aircraft carrier strike group.

Peacetime missions will include humanitarian assistance and disaster response through the provision of a modular onboard hospital, electrical power generation equipment, and equipment for supplying potable water.

Upon completion, the future Jacques Stosskopf will have an LOA of 194 metres, a beam of 27.6 metres, a draught of nine metres, a displacement of 31,000 tonnes at full load, capacity for 13,000 cubic metres of fuel cargo, and accommodation for 130 crewmembers and up to 60 additional personnel.

A diesel-electric propulsion system with a total installed power of 24 MW can deliver a maximum speed of 20 knots and a range of 7,000 nautical miles.