Events Military/Government Ships

FS Garonne Visits Baltimore October 2019

meabbott

This 70x16m (230×52.5ft) offshore supply and assistance vessel, or “BSAM” (Bâtiment de soutien et d’assistance hauturiers) was delivered July 4, 2019 to the French Navy by Kership.

She was designed to support a variety of missions and this NavalNews article includes a video that describes those missions and how she will conduct them. This Malta Ship News blog post has more info and photos of the FS Loire which was the first of this class built whereas the Garonne is the fourth and last.

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Her visit to Baltimore was arranged by Sail Baltimore and she was open to tours Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th of October at the Broadway Pier in Fells Point. Unfortunately only a limited number of area were open for the tours but I was still very happy to be able to see what this interesting ship looks like on the inside.

Coming aboard I was first greeted by a marine with a FAMAS G2 rifle. The rear of this ship is an open area that can be fitted in a variety of ways to suit her missions.

Next I was shown to a gentleman that I believe is a Lieutenant who conducted the tour. The mess area was the first stop followed by the fire fighting area.

Next was the bridge with a 360 degree view. The controls were split into two sections, the left having two seats and the right with a single seat. The captain’s seat was positioned centrally behind them. Another control panel faced the rear of the bridge.

The ship’s defensive armaments appear to be limited to a pair of machine guns mounted at the bridge level.

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From the front of the bridge I had a nice view of the Domino Sugars refinery where the bulk freighter Lady Alara was readying for her departure. The lead photo for this blog posting was taken while on a tour of the refinery just a few days before!

Departing the bridge our tour walked down the stairs aft the superstructure where a pair of the ship’s boats and a large crane could be viewed.

Another marine was on watch as I departed the ship. Thank you to the French Navy and Sail Baltimore for providing this opportunity! You can view my photography (more than just ships!) here and more videos here.