Lineup for NATO exercise
Brilliant Mariner in Toulon, France, from bottom to top:
- (row 1) L9013
Mistral (FR) - Mistral class LHD
- (row 2 towards sea) F451
Limnos (GR) - Elli class frigate [ASW]
- (row 2 towards quay) F83
Numancia (ES) - Santa Maria class frigate [ASW]
- (row 3) L61
Juan Carlos (ES) - Juan Carlos class LHD
- (row 4 towards sea) F334
Francisco de Almedia (PT) - Karel Doorman class frigate [GP]
- (row 4 towards quay) F710
La Fayette (FR) - La Fayette class frigate [GP]
- (row 5 towards sea) F244
Barbaros (TR) - MEKO 200 class frigate [GP]
- (row 5 towards quay) F714
Guepratte (FR) - La Fayette class frigate [GP]
- (row 6 towards sea) M5558
Crotone (IT) - Lerici class minehunter
- (row 6 center) M261
Edremit (TR) - Tripartite class minehunter
- (row 6 towards quay) H88
Enterprise (UK) - hydrographic survey vessel
- (row 7) F312 Otto Sverdrup (NO) - Nansen class frigate [ASW]
- (row 8) D621 Chevalier de Paul (FR) - Horizon class destroyer [AAW]
- (row 9) F103 Blas de Lezo (ES) - Alvaro de Bazan class frigate [AAW]
- (row 10) D34 Diamond (UK) - Daring class destroyer [AAW]
- (row 11) F805 Eversten (NL) - De Zeven Provincien class frigate [AAW]
- (row 12) F363 Niels Juel (DK) - Iver Huitfeldt calss frigate [AAW]
- (row 13) F339 Charlottetown (CA) - Halifax class frigate [ASW]
Some rows aren't all that visible behind the others. I like the "bracketing" in that line-up though. The singular ship up top is an unknown La Fayette frigate.
Part of the same lineup from the ground, basically rows 8-12 visible here:
A couple more ships are also taking part, but are not lined up on the same section of the port. These are basically:
- L17
Esbern Snare (DK), Absalon class command ship
- D643
Jean de Vienne (FR), Georges Leygues class destroyer [ASW]
- D653
Languedoc (FR), FREMM class destroyer [ASW]
- M645
Orion (FR), Tripartite class minehunter
- M648
Lyre (FR), Tripartite class minehunter
- A608
Var (FR), Durance class fleet oiler
- A1443
Rhön (GE), Rhön class fleet oiler
There's also a submarine in the exercise but no one says which. So i'd give some money on it being a French nuclear attack submarine.
Juan Carlos is deployed to Brilliant Mariner with 6 AV-8B Harrier II (and 3 Sea Kings). I'm not sure whether Mistral actually officially carries helos for the exercise - she's definitely carrying a EDA-R landing craft catamaran and two LCUs though. Pictures of the exercise show at least one Puma, one NH90 and a single Tiger combat helicopter operating from her.
Land-based fixed-wing aviation involved in the exercise is the 12th Fighter Squadron of the French Navy (12 Rafale M - remember, CdG is in the yard) and 115th Air Force Base with two Fighter Squadrons of the French Air Force (up to 24 Mirage 2000B/C); also, one E-2 Hawkeye and Atlantique each of the French Navy, one P-3C of the German Navy and one E-3F of the French Air Force.
The whole thing at sea:
kinda big photo 1 and 2.
Also have some brilliant VR video on Youtube from the exercise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGbJ2gGmJa8(VR as in: click your mouse in it and move the camera...)