Gowind offshore patrol vessel L’Adroit berthed, Thursday 24 November, at Toulon naval base on the Mediterranean, her home port, just 18 months after construction work began at DCNS’s Lorient shipyard on the Atlantic.

Built under a DCNS-funded programme, this innovative maritime safety and security platform is now on loan to the French Navy for three years. Over the coming months, the L’Adroit will demonstrate her exceptional capabilities.

Gowind OPV L’Adroit spearheads DCNS efforts to win a larger share of the growing markets for small- and medium-displacement surface ships.

Over the next three years, the French Navy will trial the ship’s capabilities in current and emerging roles ranging from fisheries policing, drug interdiction, environmental protection and humanitarian aid to search & rescue at sea.

With two crews rotating every four months, the design’s high reliability is expected to offer no fewer than 220 days of at-sea operational availability a year.

With a length of 87 metres, OPV L’Adroit offers three weeks’ blue-water endurance, a range of 8,000 nautical miles, a top speed of 21 knots and a helicopter/UAV flight deck. The design also features full provision for reduced crewing by a complement of 30 and space for 30 passengers.

Innovations and capabilities of special interest to ship-based naval, commando and coast guard forces include a panoramic bridge offering 360° visibility, a single enclosed mast offering 360° sensor visibility, covert deployment of fast commando boats in less than 5 minutes and full provision for unmanned aerial and surface vehicles (UAVs and USVs).

The Gowind family also benefits from DCNS's extensive experience in command information systems. These vessels can be readily tailored for extended area surveillance and, when working in conjunction with shore-based control centres and other networked ships, for the automatic detection of suspicious behaviour by ships and other craft.