Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime
 Patrol boat Huveaune (P619) in the old harbour of Marseille. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime |
| Operators: |
|
| Subclasses: | RPB 20 for export |
| In commission: | 11 June 2003 |
| Completed: | 30 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Swift boat |
| Displacement: | 31 to 41 tonnes |
| Length: | 20 metres |
| Beam: | 5.29 metres |
| Draught: | 2.89 metres |
| Speed: | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range: | 500 nautical miles (1,000 km) |
| Endurance: | 4 days |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | Tender One 490 boat, by Raidco marine |
| Complement: | 8 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Radar |
| Armament: | Light infantry weapons, FM AANF1 |
| Armour: | Bridge |
The Vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM, "coastal boats for sea surveillance") are swift craft of the French Gendarmerie maritime. 24 boats of the type have been commissioned. They are based in various harbours of France, and are used for coast guard duties ranging from rescue to military tasks, including monitoring of pollution, sea police, and interception of illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.
The VCSM carry a custom-designed rigid-hull tender in a well deck. This deck can be converted into a helicopter airlift zone.
The boats do not carry heavy armament, but light machine guns can be installed when needed. In addition, infantry small arms are carried by the crew.
Ships in Gendarmerie maritime service
The ships in Gendarmerie maritime service are named for rivers of the harbours in which they are based
- P601 Élorn (Concarneau)
- P602 Verdon (La Réunion)
- P603 Adour (Anglet)
- P604 Scarpe (Boulogne-sur-Mer)
- P605 Vertonne (Sables d'Olonne)
- P606 Dumbea (Nouméa)
- P607 Yser (Dieppe)
- P608 Argens (Saint Raphaël)
- P609 Hérault (Sète)
- P610 Gravona (Ajaccio)
- P611 Odet (Mayotte)
- P612 Maury (Gruissan)
- P613 Charente (Rochefort)
- P614 Tech (Port Vendres)
- P615 Penfeld (Brest)
- P616 Trieux (Saint Malo)
- P617 Vésubie (Nice)
- P618 Escaut (Dunkerque)
- P619 Huveaune (Marseille)
- P620 Sèvre (Pornichet)
- P621 Aber-Wrach (Brest)
- P622 Esteron (Le Havre)
- P623 Mahury (Cayenne)
- P624 Organabo (Kourou)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime. |
- (French) Les vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM), netmarine.net
- Also sold to Senegal (Sangomar & Djiferre) and Mauritania (Megsem Bakkar & Oum Tounsi).
