View source for French frigate Chevalier Paul

{{Short description|Horizon-class frigate of the French Navy}}
{{Other ships|French ship Chevalier Paul}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=French destroyer Chevalier Paul (D621) underway in the Mediterranean Sea on 15 July 2017.JPG
|Ship caption=''Chevalier Paul'' underway in the Mediterranean Sea on 15 July 2017
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=France
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|France|naval}}
|Ship name=''Chevalier Paul''
|Ship namesake=[[Chevalier Paul]]
|Ship ordered=27 October 2000
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[DCNS (company)|DCNS]] and [[Thales Group]]. [[Lorient]] shipyard
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|Ship laid down=13 January 2005
|Ship launched=12 July 2006
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|Ship commissioned= June 2009
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|Ship homeport=[[Toulon]]
|Ship identification=* [[Pennant number]]: D 621
* {{MMSI Number|228722000}}
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|Ship status=Active
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class={{sclass2|Horizon|frigate}}
|Ship displacement=7,050 tonnes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/horizon.htm |title=Project Horizon |publisher=[[GlobalSecurity.org]] |date=11 July 2011 |access-date=9 October 2014}}</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|152.87|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|20.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draught={{convert|5.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion=*2 × 31280 HP GE/Avio [[LM2500]] gas turbines
*2 × 5875 HP [[SEMT Pielstick]] 12 PA6 STC diesels
*1 × beam propeller
*2 × 4-blade propellers
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|29|kn}} (18 on diesel)
|Ship range={{convert|7000|nmi|km mi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}}s, 3500 nmi at 25 knots
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|Ship boats=EDO, 20-seat EFRC, Hurricane 733
|Ship capacity=32 passengers or admiral staff
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|Ship complement=*26 officers
*110 petty officers
*38 sailors
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|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=*S-1850 LRR tri-dimensional sentry radar with [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]]
*ABF TUS 4110 CL hull sonar
*Tugged linear antenna with Alto torpedo detector
|Ship EW=*Radar jammer
*Communication jammer
*NGDS system (2 decoy launchers, REM, RIR, LAD)
*''Contralto'' system (2 acoustic decoy launchers).
|Ship armament=
*'''Anti-air;'''
* 1 × [[PAAMS]] (48 × [[MBDA Aster|Aster 15 or 30]] anti-air missiles in [[SYLVER launcher|SYLVER]] A50 VLS.)
* For but not with: [1 × Sadral launcher with 6 [[Mistral (missile)|Mistral]] missiles] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alabordache.fr/marine/espacemarine/marine/fregate_rang_1/chevalierpaul/presentation.php |title=Présentation Frégate Horizon Chevalier Paul |publisher=Alabordache.fr |access-date=9 October 2014|language=fr}}</ref> space on starboard roof of hangar 
*'''Anti-ship;'''
* 8 × [[Exocet#MM40 Block 3|Exocet MM40 Block 3]] anti-ship missiles (Block 3c variant entering service with the French Navy from December 2022)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2022/2022/10/first-exocet-mm40-block-3c-missiles-set-for-december-delivery/ | title=First Exocet MM40 Block 3c Missiles set for December Delivery | date=17 October 2022 }}</ref>
*'''Anti-submarine;'''
* 2 × [[MU90 Impact|MU90]] torpedo tubes
*'''Guns;'''
* 2 × [[Otobreda 76 mm]] super rapid guns
* 3 × [[Nexter Narwhal|Narwhal 20 mm remote-controlled naval gun]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
1 × [[NH90]] helicopter
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Chevalier Paul''''' is a {{sclass2|Horizon|frigate}} of the French [[French Navy|Marine Nationale]] commissioned in June 2009, the third vessel of the French Navy named after the 17th century admiral [[Chevalier Paul]]. The main mission of this type of ship is the escort and protection of a [[carrier strike group]] formed around an [[aircraft carrier]], usually {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}} or one of the aircraft carriers of the [[US Navy]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/english/actualites/articles/la-fregate-de-defense-aerienne-chevalier-paul-escorte-le-groupe-aeronaval-de-l-uss-nimitz |title=La frégate de défense aérienne Chevalier Paul escorte le groupe aéronaval de l'USS Nimitz |date=23 October 2013 |website=www.defense.gouv.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> or an amphibious operation carried out by amphibious helicopter carriers. The ship's specialty is air traffic control in a war zone, but it can be employed in a wide variety of missions, such as intelligence-gathering, special forces operations, or in protecting less well-armed vessels. Horizon-class frigates such as ''Chevalier Paul'' are the most powerful [[surface combatant]]s that France has ever built. In service since the end of 2011, it bears the pennant number D621. Its namesake is Jean-Paul de Saumeur, better known as [[Chevalier Paul]], a French naval officer born in [[Marseille]] in 1598.

[[Nantes]] is the godmother city of ''Chevalier Paul'' since 17 March 2012.<ref>Source: Association of Military Cities of the Armed Forces</ref>

==Design and description==
===Aster missile===

Aster missiles are the main weapon system of ''Chevalier Paul''. The ship is equipped with 32 Aster 30 missiles and 16 Aster 15 missiles, housed in vertical silos of the Sylver A50 type, located on the foredeck. A main anti-air missile system (PAAMS), combined with an EMPAR multifunction radar operating in C-band, controls launch and target tracking.

The first launch of an Aster 30 against a target from [[sister ship]] ''Forbin'' took place in November 2008 at Toulon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr?id=109543 |title=Toute l'actualité maritime nationale |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> It was the first fire of this machine since a frigate. The previous Aster 30 launches from the sea were carried out from a British barge and the Italian test ship ''Carabiniere''. The missile was fired at an aerial target from the evolving building off the DGA's Le Levant test and launch center . The Aster 30 missiles of the air defense frigate are the second bulwark of protection of the carrier strike group, after the Rafale fighters, and provide 360° protection at a distance of 100 kilometers against aircraft and 30 kilometers against grazing and maneuvering anti-ship anti-ship missiles in service or in development. The French Navy has shown with the frigate ''Forbin'' its capacity to destroy a supersonic missile ( 3,000&nbsp;km / h ) maneuvering ( SS-N-22, AS-17, BrahMos ) and at an altitude of less than 5 meters above water by shooting down a GQM-163 Coyote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/a-la-une/interception-d-une-cible-supersonique-evoluant-au-ras-de-l-eau |title=Interception d'une cible supersonique évoluant au ras de l'eau |publisher=www.defense.gouv.fr |date=5 April 2012 |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marianne.net/blogsecretdefense/Aster-30-une-interception-de-tres-haute-technicite-reussie_a569.html |title=Les billets de blogs |language=fr |publisher=Marianne |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302225307/http://www.marianne.net/blogsecretdefense/Aster-30-une-interception-de-tres-haute-technicite-reussie_a569.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Exocet MM40 Block 3C===
''Chevalier Paul'' embarks eight sea-sea Exocet missiles installed on the upper deck amidships. The most recent version MM40 Block 3C of the Exocet missile was selected. It can operate at a distance of more than 180 kilometers from its objective.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EXOCET MM40 Block3 |url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20081116000000/http://www.mbda-systems.com/mbda/site/ref/scripts/EN_Exocet-MM40-Block-3_108.html |website=mbda-systems.com}}</ref>

===Others===
[[File:French Navy ship Chevalier Paul.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Twin [[OTO Melara 76 mm]] turrets on ''Chevalier Paul'']]
Two turrets with fully automated OTO-Melara 76&nbsp;mm cannon, controlled from Central Operations, with a rate of fire of 60 to 120 rounds per minute. Each turret, weighing 5.5 tonnes, is gyro-stabilized, in order to maintain the point-of-aim, despite the movements of the ship. It has a magazine containing 60 shells which can be refilled in real time by crew members moving ammunition from the main ammunition compartment via an elevator. More than 1,000 shells of different types (land, surface, or anti-aircraft) are stored, with a maximum range of 13 kilometers against surface targets,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/la-fregate-chevalier-paul-bete-de-guerre-de-la-marine-nationale |title=La frégate Chevalier Paul, " bête de guerre " de la Marine nationale |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |date=30 October 2012 |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115182119/https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/la-fregate-chevalier-paul-bete-de-guerre-de-la-marine-nationale |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 2 manual guns of 20&nbsp;mm mod. replaced in 2018 by 3 Narwhal 20&nbsp;mm automatic cannons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/narwhal-deux-nouveaux-batiments-francais-equipes |title=Narwhal : Deux nouveaux bâtiments français équipés |date=June 2018 |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

==Service history==
[[File:French frigate chevalier Paul.jpg|thumb|''Chevalier Paul'' at [[Valparaiso]]]]
''Chevalier Paul'' was launched by [[Direction des Constructions Navales|DCN]] at [[Lorient]] on 12 July 2006. She is a [[sister ship]] to {{ship|French frigate|Forbin||2}}. ''Chevalier Paul''{{'}}s first trip to the sea took place in November 2007. Two years later, the Navy accepted the ship into service.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/english/marine/a-la-une/le-chevalier-paul-appareille-vers-de-nouveaux-horizons |title=Le Chevalier Paul appareille vers de nouveaux horizons |publisher=www.defense.gouv.fr |date=28 June 2010 |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> This ship was approved by the [[French Navy]] in December 2008 and is based in the military port of [[Toulon]]. On 5 May 2009, the four Horizon-class frigates of the French and Italian navies met off [[La Spezia]], Italy. ''Chevalier Paul'' remained moored there until 7 May in the evening.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jdb.marine.defense.gouv.fr/post/2009/05/07/Le-Forbin-aux-couleurs-italiennes |title=Le Forbin aux couleurs italiennes - Journaux de bord : Marine nationale |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205181056/http://jdb.marine.defense.gouv.fr/post/2009/05/07/Le-Forbin-aux-couleurs-italiennes |archive-date=5 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The ship made the first launch of an [[Exocet|MM40 Block 3 missile]] by a French Navy ship on 17 March 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=112698 |title=Toute l'actualité maritime nationale |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=22 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322192311/http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=112698 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It made its first long-term crossing from 18 March 2010, which ended in mid-July/<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr?id=112706 |title=Toute l'actualité maritime nationale |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> ''Chevalier Paul'' sailed to the [[North Sea]] and briefly participated in the [[NATO]] [[Military exercise|exercise]] Brillant Mariner (12 to 22 April 2011), which also involves the aircraft carrier {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}} and {{ship|French ship|Mistral||2}}. Then the frigate crossed the Atlantic to reach the United States and Canada, before sailing south to the Caribbean, stopping over in Mexico and crossing the [[Panama Canal]]. She then began a tour of South America and arrived in [[Rio de Janeiro]] in June 2011. ''Chevalier Paul'' then re-crossed the Atlantic to reach Morocco and in mid-July, returned to the naval base of Toulon.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/le-chevalier-paul-appareille-pour-sa-traversee-de-longue-duree |title=Le Chevalier Paul appareille pour sa traversée de longue durée |language=fr |publisher=Mer et Marine |date=18 March 2010 |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105145400/https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/le-chevalier-paul-appareille-pour-sa-traversee-de-longue-duree |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
''Chevalier Paul'' was admitted to active service on 10 June 2011, when the ship was engaged three days later in [[Operation Harmattan]], the French contribution to the [[2011 military intervention in Libya]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arm-asso.fr/le-chevalier-paul-en-appui-au-bpc/|title=Erreur de la base de données|access-date=5 July 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20210410192600/http://www.arm-asso.fr/le-chevalier-paul-en-appui-au-bpc/|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

On 29 August 2013, ''Chevalier Paul'' left Toulon. Some reports claimed she had been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in response to the [[Syrian Civil War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1218 |title=French Navy Air Defense Destroyer Chevalier Paul (D621) deploys to the Syrian coasts |publisher=NavyRecognition.com |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=9 October 2014}}</ref> but the navy authorities declined to confirm she was heading for Syria.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-hollande-idUSBRE97S0CU20130829 |title=France: political solution the ultimate goal for Syria |work=[[Reuters]] |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref> From 13 to 26 October 2014, the frigate took part in the large international operational exercise Catamaran 2014 that practiced an amphibious assault.<ref name=nr>{{cite web|url=http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2068 |title=Video and photo coverage: Catamaran 2014 large joint amphibious exercise with CVN, LHD, LPD |last=Vavasseur |first=Xavier |publisher=NavyRecognition.com |date=24 October 2014 |access-date=28 November 2014}}</ref> In November 2015, a French Navy press release stated that ''Chevalier Paul'' was to be part of the ''Charles de Gaulle'' task force launching strikes against the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/7674 |title=Mission Arromanches 2 : Déploiment du GAN en Méditerranée orientale et dans l'Océan Indien |website=colsbleus.fr |language=fr |date=18 November 2015 |access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> The ship was a component of the ''Charles de Gaulle'' Carrier Strike Group, which left Toulon on 13 January for a mission of approximately five months and engaged for eight weeks in the Persian Gulf.<ref>{{cite web |author=Temps de Lecture 1 min. |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2015/02/23/le-porte-avions-charles-de-gaulle-s-engage-dans-la-coalition-internationale-contre-l-ei_4581348_3218 |title=Le porte-avions " Charles-de-Gaulle " s'engage dans la coalition contre l'EI |publisher=Archive.wikiwix.com |date=2015-02-23 |accessdate=2022-09-28 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20210904025923/https://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2015/02/23/le-porte-avions-charles-de-gaulle-s-engage-dans-la-coalition-internationale-contre-l-ei_4581348_3218 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

On 18 November 2015, ''Charles de Gaulle'' set sail and joined its carrier strike group, of which ''Chevalier Paul'' is a member. It also consisted of the {{ship|French frigate|La Motte-Picquet}}, the {{ship|Belgian frigate|Leopold I|F930|6}} , the British destroyer {{HMS|Defender|D36|6}}, the supply ship {{ship|French tanker|Marne||2}}, and a nuclear attack submarine.<ref>{{cite web|author=par Laurent Lagneau &middot; 18 novembre 2015 |url=http://www.opex360.com/2015/11/18/depart-de-toulon-du-porte-avions-charles-de-gaulle-de-son-escorte-pour-la-mediterranee-orientale/ |title=DĂŠpart de Toulon du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et de son escorte pour la MĂŠditerranĂŠe orientale &#124; Zone Militaire |publisher=Opex360.com |date=18 November 2015 |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

On 6 July 2016, following Operation Arromanches 2 in the eastern Mediterranean, the frigate received the [[Military Cross (Belgium)|Belgian military cross]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Digidust Corp |url=https://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/8635 |title=Le groupe aéronaval français décoré par la Marine belge &#124; colsbleus.fr : le magazine de la Marine Nationale |language=fr |publisher=colsbleus.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>
[[File:170715-N-FE442-045 (35135354744).jpg|thumb|''Chevalier Paul'' with an aircraft carrier in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]]]
In May 2017, ''Chevalier Paul'' completed its intermediate technical stop which saw the replacement of the two 76&nbsp;mm turrets named "Hercule" and "Licorne".<ref>{{cite web|author=Digidust Corp |url=https://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/9705 |title=Premier échange de tourelles de 76 mm à bord du Chevalier Paul &#124; colsbleus.fr : le magazine de la Marine Nationale |language= fr |publisher=colsbleus.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

=== Coronavirus pandemic ===
{{further|COVID-19 pandemic on military ships#Chevalier Paul}}
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], on 15 April 2020, the [[Ministry of Armed Forces (France)|Ministry of Armed Forces]] reported that, out of the 1,767 tests conducted on the members of the [[carrier battle group#France|carrier battle group]] led by {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}}, 668 returned positive.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter">{{cite web|url=https://mobile.twitter.com/Armees_Gouv/status/1250513114161909763 |title=Twitter |publisher=Mobile.twitter.com |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>{{efn|30% of the tests were still inconclusive.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter" />}}  The vast majority of these cases were aboard ''Charles de Gaulle'', and the remainder of the cases were aboard ''Chevalier Paul''.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter" /><ref name="groupe.aeronaval.bleu">{{cite web|url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/societe/coronavirus-au-moins-500-marins-du-charles-de-gaulle-positifs-au-covid-19-1586960222 |title=Coronavirus : près de 700 marins positifs au Covid-19, la majorité sur le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle |date=15 April 2020 |publisher=Francebleu.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="groupe.aeronaval.rfi">{{cite web|author=Text by: Agencies Follow |url=http://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20200416-twenty-sailors-hospitalised-after-covid-19-hits-french-aircraft-carrier-charles-de-gaulle-coronavirus |title=Twenty sailors hospitalised after Covid-19 hits French aircraft carrier |date=16 April 2020 |publisher=Rfi.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

On 12 April the French Navy reported that ''Charles de Gaulle'' and accompanying [[anti-aircraft warfare|air-defense]] [[frigate]] ''Chevalier Paul'' had returned to Toulon, while command and replenishment [[tanker (ship)|tanker]] {{ship|French tanker|Somme||2}} and [[anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine]] frigate ''La Motte-Picquet'' had returned to [[Brest, France|Brest]].<ref name="chevalier.marine.twitter" /> The 200 sailors of ''Chevalier Paul'' were subsequently quarantined for two weeks.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter" /><ref name="groupe.aeronaval.bleu" />

On 15 April, the Ministry of Armed Forces reported that, out of the 1,767 tests that had been conducted on the members of the carrier battle group so far, 668 had returned positive.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter"/>{{efn|30% of the tests were still inconclusive at the time.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter" />|name="groupe.aeronaval.inconclusive"}}  The vast majority of these cases were aboard ''Charles de Gaulle'', and the remainder of the cases were reported to be aboard ''Chevalier Paul''.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.mda.twitter" /><ref name="groupe.aeronaval.bleu"/><ref name="groupe.aeronaval.rfi"/><ref name="chevalier.marine.twitter">{{cite web|url=https://mobile.twitter.com/MarineNationale/status/1249427536242708491 |title=Twitter |publisher=Mobile.twitter.com |date=12 April 2020 |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

On 17 April, {{ill|Maryline Gygax Généro|fr}}, Central Director of the [[French Defence Health Service|Military Health Service]], reported to the {{ill|Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Forces Committee|fr|Commission des Affaires étrangères, de la Défense et des Forces armées (Sénat)}} that all 2,300 sailors of the carrier battle group had been tested upon their return to Toulon, and so far, 940 had tested positive while 645 had tested negative.{{efn|Her exact words were "Sur les 2300 marins du groupe aéronaval autour du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle, tous testés à leur retour à Toulon, 940 ont été testés positifs, 645 négatifs, les autres résultats de tests n'étant pas encore connus".<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.senat" />}}<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.senat">{{cite web|url=https://www.senat.fr/presse/cp20200417g.html |title=Contamination du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle - Sénat |date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Senat.fr |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>  On the same day, [[Florence Parly]], [[Minister of the Armed Forces (France)|Minister of the Armed Forces]], reported to the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]'s {{ill|National Defense and Armed Forces Committee|fr|Commission de la Défense nationale et des Forces armées}} that 2,010 sailors of the carrier battle group had been tested, with 1,081 tests returning positive so far.<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.defense">{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/articles/florence-parly-s-exprime-devant-les-deputes-de-la-commission-de-la-defense-nationale-et-des-forces-armees |title=Florence Parly s'exprime devant les députés de la commission de la Défense nationale et des forces armées |publisher=www.defense.gouv.fr |date=17 April 2012 |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

In total, 545 sailors had shown symptoms and 24 had been hospitalized at the Saint Anne Army Teaching Hospital, including one admitted to an [[intensive care unit|ICU]].<ref name="groupe.aeronaval.defense" />

On 29 April 2020, the Navy stated that 19 sailors aboard ''Chevalier Paul'' had tested positive upon arrival at Toulon.<ref name="chevalier.defense">{{cite web|title=Bio-nettoyage de la frégate Chevalier Paul|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actu-marine/bio-nettoyage-de-la-fregate-chevalier-paul|date=29 April 2020|website=www.defense.gouv.fr|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref>

On 11 May 2020, Florence Parly reported to the National Assembly the conclusions of two investigations{{efn|One investigation was epidemiological, while the other was of command.<ref name="gan.express" />}} into the outbreak on board the carrier, stating that the virus had first arrived before a stopover made in Brest, and that although the command and medical team aboard the carrier had "excessive confidence"{{efn|The original words were "confiance excessive".<ref name="gan.ouest" />}} in their ability to deal with the virus, the investigations did not consider them at fault.<ref name="gan.express">{{cite web|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/le-commandement-du-charles-de-gaulle-contamine-a-fait-preuve-d-exces-de-confiance_2125786.html|title=Le commandement du Charles de Gaulle contaminé a fait preuve d'"excès de confiance"|date=11 May 2020|website=LExpress.fr}}</ref><ref name="gan.ouest">{{cite web|url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/sante/virus/coronavirus/coronavirus-le-virus-introduit-sur-le-charles-de-gaulle-en-mediterranee-avant-l-escale-brest-6831700|title=Coronavirus. Le virus introduit sur le Charles de Gaulle en Méditerranée, avant l'escale à Brest|first=avec|last=AFP|date=11 May 2020|website=Ouest-France.fr}}</ref><ref name="gan.times">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/05/11/world/europe/11reuters-health-coronavirus-france-navy.html|title=French Minister Blames Mistakes for Virus Outbreak on Aircraft Carrier|date=11 May 2020|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

Parly further explained that the introduction of the virus on board the carrier happened sometime between when it left [[Limassol]], [[Cyprus]], on 26 February 2020, and when it arrived at Brest on 13 March.<ref name="gan.ouest" />  During this time, personnel had been brought on board via air from either Cyprus, [[Sicily]], the [[Balearic Islands]], Spain, or Portugal.<ref name="gan.ouest" />  The spread of the virus, however, was exacerbated by the stopover at Brest.<ref name="gan.ouest" />  Social distancing and other measures were taken after the stopover, but they weighed heavily on crew morale, so after enforcing the strict measures for a fortnight, they were relaxed, and a concert on board was authorized for 30 March.<ref name="gan.express" />

Parly also noted that all soldiers aboard ''Charles de Gaulle'' have since recovered from the disease except for one sailor, who was still hospitalized after leaving the ICU.<ref name="gan.express" />

=== Operation Aspides ===
{{Main|Operation Aspides}}
On 16 August 2024 ''Chevalier Paul'' crossed the [[Suez Canal]] and joined the European Naval Force in the [[Red Sea]]. On 22 August, the frigate evacuated and assisted the crew of the Greek tanker ''Sounion'',<ref name=":0" /> previously attacked by two [[Houthi movement|Houti]] arrmed boats off [[Yemen]] and disabled.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oil tanker ablaze and adrift in Red Sea after multiple attacks |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgwe9vp92ro |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> During the rescue ''Chevalier Paul'' destroyed a [[Unmanned surface vehicle|naval drone]] with its 20 mm Narwhal guns.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lagneau |first=Laurent |date=2024-08-22 |title=Mer Rouge : Une frégate française a détruit un drone de surface qui menaçait le pétrolier grec M/V Sounion |url=https://www.opex360.com/2024/08/22/mer-rouge-une-fregate-francaise-a-detruit-un-drone-de-surface-qui-menacait-le-petrolier-grec-m-v-sounion/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Zone Militaire |language=fr-FR}}</ref>   

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.alabordache.fr/marine/espacemarine/marine/fregate_rang_1/chevalierpaul/index.php ''Chevalier Paul''] Anti Air Warfare Destroyer ''Chevalier Paul'' on Alabordache

{{Horizon class frigate (France)}}
{{COVID-19 pandemic in France}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chevalier Paul (D621)}}
[[Category:Horizon-class frigates of the French Navy]]
[[Category:Frigates of France]]
[[Category:2006 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:Naval ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2024]]