7085 SUFFREN D602 1990 – FRENCH FRIGATE

Suffren (D 602) is a French missile destroyer (in French nomenclature: cruiser and later frigate) missile class of the same name. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1962, the launch took place in May 1965, and the commissioning for service in the French Marine Nationale - in 1967. The full displacement of the Suffren class units was 6,900 tons, 157 m long and 15 m wide. The maximum speed was up to 34 knots. The on-board armament of destroyer Suffren at the time of launching consisted of: a single Masurca dual rocket launcher, 2 single 100 mm cannons, and 2 30 mm Hispano-Suiza cannons. Suffren (D 602) was the first of two destroyers of the class with the same name. Units of this type were built with the intention of using mainly guided anti-aircraft missiles. The new ships were to be the core of the air defense of the Foch and Clemenceau aircraft carrier teams. Suffren (D 602) had very good seagoing ability, and when it entered service - modern and rich armament and electronic equipment. The vessel was built in the port of Lorient. After entering service, it belonged to the French Atlantic Fleet, and from 1975 it was based in Toulon on the Mediterranean Sea. In 1988, the unit underwent a deep modernization, which mainly concerned a very far-reaching modernization of on-board electronics, including radar and sonar. Suffren (D 602) was not decommissioned until 2001.