Eridan class, Eridan (M641)

Mathll · February 25, 2026, 10:52pm

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today I’m presenting a new French ship that can complement the coastal fleet: the Eridan, of the eponymous class.

In the early 1970s, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands agreed to jointly build a series of ships designed for mine countermeasures. This agreement gave rise to the Tripartite class, known as the Eridan class in the French fleet. This class of ship was therefore built using components supplied by the different countries, resulting in 35 ships: 10 for France and Belgium, and 15 for the Netherlands.

This class of ship is thus primarily equipped for mine warfare; however, this does not mean it is unarmed. France equipped it with various cannons and machine guns, making it a valuable combat platform.

The Eridans was the first ship of its class for France. Designed from 1979 onwards, it entered service with the French Navy in 1984. It carried out various missions and training exercises, notably in the English Channel and the North Sea, alongside its counterparts from other countries, before finally being decommissioned and laid up in 2018. Stored at the ship graveyard in Landévennec, in the Brest roadstead, since its decommissioning, the ship was recently transferred to the port of Le Havre for dismantling.

Like the rest of its class, the ship is named after a constellation resembling a river, inspired by Greek mythology. Eridanus is a river in this mythology, often identified with the Po.

Characteristics

Length : 51.50 m

Width : 8.90 m

Draft : 3.80 m

Mass : 615 tons

The ship is powered by a 1370 kW Werkspoor RUB 215 diesel engine driving a 5-bladed variable-speed propeller, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 15 knots and a range of 3,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. Its crew consists of approximately 50 sailors.

Equipment

Radar :

Racal-Decca DRBN-38

Sonar :

DUBM-21 E (TSM 2022 Mk 3)
SPIV (towed sonar)

Weapons

Since the ship is not intended for major combat operations, its armament is not particularly advanced. However, it does possess weapons capable of defending itself against various minor threats.

1x 20mm F2 canon
2x 12.7mm machine gun

In the game, this ship would have a rather peculiar but interesting design, offering a lightly armed and rather large ship but with a large crew allowing it to stay alive for a long time, making an interesting addition to the French coastal tree.

Pictures

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvbC6apWheo

Sources