By Scott Taylor
From 19 -23 May the residents of Quebec City were treated to a rare sight. Docked below the majestic Frontenac hotel were two warships of the French navy with the Tricolour fluttering from their mast tops. The Light Stealth frigate Surcouf was dwarfed by the massive Mistral docked alongside.
The Mistral class is a class of five landing helicopter docks built by France. Also known as helicopter carriers, and referred to as "projection and command ships" since 2019, a Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 NH90 or Tiger helicopters, four landing craft, up to 70 vehicles including 13 Leclerc tanks, or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion,[5] and 450 soldiers. The Mistral displaces 21,500 tons and is exactly 199 metres long. The reason being that at 200 metre in length ships are bumped into a higher toll bracket when transitting key canals like the Suez and Panama. The ships are equipped with a 69-bed hospital, and are capable of serving as part of a NATO Response Force, or with United Nations or European Union peace-keeping forces.
On this occasion the soldiers and vehicles aboard conducted an exercise with the 3rd battalion of Canada’s famed R22er (Vandoo) Regiment. That exercise involved an amphibious assault on the sleepy Quebec town of Sept-Isles. As the Mistral does not possess anti-submarine defence systems, when deployed she would sail in company with one of Frances 6 anti-submarine warfare frigates. With ample spare berths aboard the Mistral is carrying some 125 Midshipmen or officers- in-training. A point worth noting is that back in 2014 France had offered Canada 2 Mistral Class ships. The original client was Russia but with sanctions imposed due to Russian interference in Ukraine the nearly completed ships could not be delivered. The cost was less than $1 billion per ship. Canada passed on the offer and Egypt bought them instead.
Esprit de Corps was honoured to be included in the 20 May evening cocktail reception hosted aboard Mistral. It was an elegant affair on the Hangar deck replete with a sentry detail from the Foreign Legion. Music was provided by the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Band accompanied by a saxophonist from Surcouf. All in all a wonderful example of gun-boat diplomacy.
