The ship of the French Navy, an aviso (class of small corvette with anti-submarine and anti-ship vocation) called Commandant l'Herminier (F791), was the only ship of the French Navy that could fly the famous "pirate flag", yet prohibited to pleasure boaters. It is no longer in operation since July 2018.
The only other French ship to hoist the black flag was the submarine Casabianca. The latter had participated in the liberation of Corsica under the command of Captain Jean L'Herminier. As a reward for his act of heroism during the Second World War, he received the Jolly Roger from Captain Fawkes, commander of the eighth flotilla of British submarines. It is therefore in homage to Captain Jean L'Herminier, whose name it bears, that the Commandant l'Herminier (F791) had the right to hoist the black flag.
During the First World War, and the tradition still persists today, British submarines flew the pirate flag when they had successfully completed their mission.
The Commandant l'Herminier, an 80m vessel based in Brest, was commissioned on January 19, 1986. Led by Audrey Boutteville - one of eight female ship commanders in the French Navy - she was specialized in anti-submarine warfare. Her retirement from active duty is effective in 2018.
This black flag representing a white skull and two crossed shins (or two swords) is the flag of the pirates. It appeared for the first time in 1700 off the coast of Santiago de Cuba, used by a French pirate named Emmanuel Wynne.
Features
- Length : 80,50 meters
- Width: 10.30 meters
- Draft : 5,60 meters
- Air draft : 26 meters
- Maximum speed: 24 knots
- Range at 15 knots : 4 500 nautical miles
- Displacement: 1,100 tons and 1,250 tons at full load
- Autonomy : 15 days
Crew
- 7 officers
- 58 petty officers
- 24 petty officers and sailors
