Champlain class BATRAL, Champlain (L 9030)

Mathll · May 28, 2026, 2:21am

[Would you like to see this in-game?]

Yes
No

0 voters

Hello everyone and welcome to this new feature.

Today I’m introducing a rather surprising new class of French ships: the Champlain-class vessels, starting with the first of them, the Champlain (L 9030).

The Champlain class is a class of BATRAL (Light Transport Vessel) that entered service during the 1970s. These ships of the French fleet are responsible for loading and unloading equipment and personnel from the shore by beaching their bows. These ships are the successors to the Trieux class. However, these are not their only missions; they are also tasked with various patrol missions in French waters and representing the nation at various events.

Laid down in 1973, the Champlain was commissioned into the French Navy in 1974. Initially based in the Indian Ocean, the ship carried out transport missions between the islands, delivering personnel and equipment where needed, particularly between Réunion, Mayotte, Djibouti, and the Scattered Islands (small islands around Madagascar and the Comoros belonging to France). In 2000, it changed its home port and moved to Fort-de-France in the French West Indies, where it performed similar missions. The ship was notably used on several occasions following natural disasters; its ability to land on beaches allowed it to quickly reach disaster areas. Finally, according to some sources, the ship participated in Operation Carbet in 2004, a peacekeeping mission in Haiti that required the deployment of several hundred French soldiers, including by sea.

Unfortunately, little is known or of interest about this ship.

In 2004, the Champlain was decommissioned and laid up, having become too old for active service. It was sunk as a target for training exercises off the coast of Martinique. It was replaced by the Dumont D’Urville of the same class. Since 2016, a new ship has borne the name Champlain, a d’Entrecasteaux-class support and transport vessel (BSAOM), a vessel of the same lineage as it is a support and transport ship.

The Champlain is named in honor of Samuel de Champlain, a French sailor, soldier, and explorer who participated in numerous expeditions and is the founder of Quebec City, now part of Canada.

Characteristics

Length : 80.00 m

Width : 13.00 m

Draft : 3.00 m

Mass :

Min : 770.00 tons
Max : 1330.00 tons

The ship is powered by two 3600 hp SACM-Wärtsilä UD 33 V l2 M 4 diesel engines, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 16 knots. Its range is 4500 nautical miles at a speed of 13 knots.

Its crew consists of 44 sailors. In addition, the ship can carry 144 passengers (and 10 vehicles in its hold) for up to 10 days before needing to resupply.

Equipment

The ship’s equipment is minimalist, allowing it to navigate on the water but not much else. It includes the following equipment:

1 x Decca 1226 navigation radar
1 x Satellite communication device

In addition, the ship can carry a helicopter on its aft deck (maximum 6 tons) with its armament, enabling it to engage and intercept targets too fast for it to perform anti-submarine missions, unlike the various combat aircraft capable of this role. The helicopters that can be embarked are typically Alouette, Dauphin, or Panthère.

Weapons

Originally designed for tank landing missions, the Champlain possessed considerable firepower. Indeed, it had to be capable of landing vehicles while also being able to return fire from the shore. Its armament included :

2 x 40mm Bofors guns (each side of the bridge)
2 x 81mm mortars (front platform)
2 x 12.7mm machine guns (front platform)

In the game, this ship would be an interesting addition, providing a large vessel with light armament that allows it to engage various types of targets. It would even be interesting to have the ship’s attack helicopter (when helicopters are added to naval battles) as this would grant it some very interesting new capabilities.

Pictures

Video

Patrouilleur Austral ALBATROS, remorquage du Batral CHAMPLAIN, 1993

Sources

CharAznable3 · May 28, 2026, 6:54am

low tier fire support boat / anti-air could teach players how to handle big boats. Also has a heli pad so maybe she get a little support heli to lob rockets at poor speed boats.