Multipurpose frigates
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class T’ara Tripp
The Languedoc and the Alsace are both multipurpose frigates part of the FREMM family of warships.
Under the FREMM initiative, or “European multi-purpose frigate” project, the ships were developed by France and Italy. This led to the new generation of surface-combatant ships known in France as the Aquitaine class and in Italy as the Bergamini class.
Initially, 27 FREMM frigates — 17 for France and 10 for Italy — were planned for development with three proposed variants: an anti-submarine variant, a general-purpose variant, and a land-attack variant.
However, due to budget cuts and building requirements, the French Navy cut the proposed fleet down to less than 10 ships, and the land-attack version of the frigate was canceled.
There are currently eight Aquitaine-class frigates in the French navy. These include the lead ship FS Aquitaine, as well as FS Provence, FS Languedoc, FS Auvergne, FS Bretagne, FS Normandie, FS Alsace, and FS Lorraine.