Durance class tanker

ARA Patagonia (ex-Durance) in Ushuaia
Class overview
Name:	Durance
Operators:	French Navy  Argentine Navy  Royal Australian Navy  Royal Saudi Navy
Completed:	6
Active:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Replenishment oiler
Displacement:	7,600 tonnes (empty) 17,800 tonnes (full load)
Length:	157.2 m
Beam:	21.2 m
Draught:	8.65 metres (average) 10.80 metres full load
Propulsion:	2 × Pielstick 16 PC2-5 V 400 diesel engines, two shafts
Speed:	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range:	9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats and landing craft carried:	1 LCVP 1 9-metre boat 2 rigid-hulled inflatable boats
Complement:	8 officers 62 non-commissioned officers 89 sailors
Sensors and processing systems:	2 DRBN 34 radars
Electronic warfare and decoys:	1 SLQ-25 Nixie towed jammer
Armament:	1 Bofors 40 mm guns 6 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns 1 Simbad Mistral missile launcher
Aviation facilities:	Medium helicopter pad

The Durance class is a series of multi-product replenishment oilers, originally designed and built for service in the French Navy. Besides the five ships built for the French Navy, a sixth was built for the Royal Australian Navy, while the lead ship of the class currently serves with the Argentine Navy.

French Navy

Five ships of the class were built for the French Navy:

• Durance (A629)
• ALINDIEN, was permanently stationed aboard such a ship until 2010.

  Durance has been sold to the Argentine Navy; the remaining four vessels are still in service as of 2008. Three ships of the class (Marne, Somme, and Var) are fitted out as flagships and can embark an admiral and his staff. In October 2009, Somme repelled an attack by Somali pirates^[1]

  Royal Australian Navy

  A single ship of the class was built, in Australia, for the Royal Australian Navy:

  • HMAS Success (OR 304). Success is in service as of 2011.^[2]

  Argentine Navy

  The leading ship of the class was sold to the Argentine Navy in 1999; she serves under the name ARA Patagonia (B-1)

  Variant

  • Boraida class oilers for Saudi Arabia:
    • 902 Boraida
    • 904 Yunbou

  References

  1. ^ "Pirates hit navy ship 'in error'". BBC News. 2009-10-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8294858.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
  2. ^ "HMAS Success". Royal Australian Navy. http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Success. Retrieved 2008-09-03.