French Navy ships arrive in Portsmouth

Five French Navy ships have arrived in Portsmouth for a brief stop to take in the naval heritage of the city.

Training ships of the French Naval Training Squadron and a French Navy Frigate, La Motte Picquet, arrived this morning. 

Captain of the Base Captain (Cpt) David George said: “It’s great to be able to support the French Training Squadron and French Navy, we hope our allies across the channel enjoy the culture and rich naval heritage that Portsmouth has to offer during their stay.”

While in Portsmouth, the crews will take in some local naval history. 

They will be given free entry to the Royal Navy’s oldest commissioned warship, HMS Victory, as well as discounted tickets for other Historic Dockyard attractions.

The training vessels are Léopard-class French Naval Ship (FNS) Chacel, FNS Guépard, FNS Tigre, FNS Panthère and the FNS Lion.

Léopard-class ships are all named after French frigates from WWII and provide platforms for future French naval officers to practice their navigation and basic seamanship skills on.