20 years after she was decommissioned from Marine Nationale (French Navy) the 1967 commissioned Suffren Class Frigate FS SUFFREN D 602 left Toulon, France for the last time on Wednesday 4th October bound to Societes Cardem Breakers at Bordeaux.
She was designed to protect a fleet against air threats, surface ships, submarines, and, to a lesser extent, provide firepower against land objectives. She was the seventh French vessel named after the 18th century admiral Pierre André de Suffren.
The Suffren class (2) were armed with a twin launcher situated on the quarterdeck for the Masurca surface-to-air missile. 48 missiles were carried while the frigates were also equipped with two single-mounted 100-millimetre (3.9 in) Modèle 1953 naval guns in positions ‘A’ and ‘B’ along the centreline. These were later upgraded to the Modèle 1964. The frigates also mounted a Malafon anti-submarine missile system. Each ship carried 13 missiles and the magazine was situated in the aft deckhouse. Furthermore, the class had four launchers for L5 torpedoes, two to each side of the ship, housed in the deckhouse between the mast and the bridge. Each ship carried ten torpedoes. They were the first French warships to deploy torpedoes using fixed catapults.
She called at Malta once back to May 1996 where she was assigned to NATO together with Italian Navy frigate ITS MAESTRALE F 572 and the Spanish Navy Frigate ESPS NAVARRA F 85 of which all units berthed at Dockyard Creek.
