The Thalassa magazine on France 5 reveals this Monday evening the intimacy of the marine commandos, within the Lorient base, at the forefront in the fight against terrorism in the maritime space. Discreetly approaching a ship, then boarding it, “that’s the heart of marine commandos”, whose training Diego Buñuel followed. To see this Monday, November 11 at 9:05 p.m.
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“This morning, evolving ‘palmeur’ course in a port area. You must infiltrate, along different obstacles, discreetly and with tactical coherence”. On the quay of the Lanester Marine commando base, in the harbor of Lorient, the instructor details the day’s instructions.
In a diving suit, Thalassa journalist-presenter Diego Bunuel prepares to accompany these men, engaged in a drastic two-month selection process, whose identity we will never know. They will be tested, trained, pushed beyond their limits, before perhaps joining the elite of the French army, at the forefront of protecting French maritime space.
“A strap that hangs is a strap that will get caught, that will cause you to be in difficulty for a moment, that will make an indiscretion. The devil is in the details” reminds the instructor. The rain is coming, “which helps us remain discreet”then it’s immersion. The final objective will be to board a boat. An essential mission, where discretion is the key to success, especially when there are hostage-taking situations.
Do you think you were discreet? Do you think you are at the swimming pool?
“The most important thing is to remain discreet and invisible, while providing intense physical effort” comments Diego Buñuel. The course under a quay, climb along a chain, in absolute silence, progress then descend into the water along a fender. “You think you’ve been discreet? Do you think you were at the pool?” berates the instructor, when a soldier emits a few splashes. You then have to climb on board using the formidable “caving ladder”.
“Here we are in the heart of the profession of Marine commandos, maritime counter-terrorism” comments the instructor commander, “board a ship, whether in the fight against piracy or drug trafficking, whether at the dock or offshore. These are techniques that are mastered by all commandos”.
Those who have taken the ferry several times to the island of Groix, opposite Lorient, have already seen one day or another the large RIBs of the commandos practicing to board the ship. There, at the heart of this training, the ship is docked. But the Thalassa show lets us experience this training from the inside, at eye level.
An atmosphere far from the clichés, from the shouting and willingly humiliating instructor that the cinema has conveyed. “We accompany them” explains the instructor commander, “it’s also rewarding for an instructor to take a student in difficulty, to accompany him, to be able to carry him, to give him confidence in himself rather than barking at someone to put him in difficulty, that’s not okay help”.
In addition to the training in Lorient, the report accompanies a field mission, in Guyana, during an operation to combat the poaching of weakfish, a fish plundered by Brazilian and Surinamese fishermen.
To be seen this Monday, November 11 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5.
