The castaways will perhaps not attach themselves to this point while waiting for help, but since this Thursday morning, for the entire Mediterranean arc, the French Navy has entrusted the 32 F flotilla with the responsibility of always remaining ready to carry assistance to sailors in danger.
After 26 years of carrying out this mission, the 35 F is relieved of this weight. A choice guided by the objective of rationalizing at national level the means made available to maritime prefectures to manage State action at sea (rescue, fight against pollution, maritime safety, etc.). “It is a logic of coherence both in terms of human resources and material”, explains Frigate Captain Sébastien Bayet, commander of the flotilla.
His unit has the most recent helicopters, the Airbus H160, devices whose capabilities the military already praises. “It is good in terms of consistency with the needs of rescue operations. “, assures the commander.
By taking over, the 32 F flotilla is putting the H160 helicopter, a newcomer from Airbus to the Navy, at the service of rescue. In service since September 2022 only, the two aircraft based in Hyères (out of the 6 in the flotilla) have been configured for sea rescue (winch, optronic system, modular cabin, wireless link, etc.). With a range of 150 nautical miles (277 km), they are still the subject of feedback from the Navy.
According to figures communicated by the French Navy, in 26 years of service, the 35F flotilla has carried out 7,155 rescues and rescued 4,062 people. In 2023 alone, it carried out 59 operations and saved 44 people.
Relieved of its alert duty (apart from the bases of La Rochelle and Tahiti), the 35F flotilla will reorient its Dauphin helicopters (dark grey in the foreground) and re-arm the Navy’s surface vessels.
Commanded by Frigate Captain Sébastien Bayet, Flotilla 32 F is made up of 80 people dedicated to rescue, 14 of whom are based in Hyères.
Initially created in 1958, it was put into hibernation in 2016 and has been reactivated since June 2023. It is present on two other sites in France: Lanvéoc-Poulmic and Cherbourg.
Symbolically, the commanders of the flotillas passed the baton in the form of a lifebuoy. The ceremony took place on the tarmac under the presidency of Vice-Admiral Serge Bordarier, commander of the Naval Air Force.
