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PoliticsFrench Navy: 9 ships and 3 units completed command handovers in week 29
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The French Ministry of Defense reported that during week 29 of 2026, nine ships and three units underwent command changes. On 28 June, Captain (Navy) Thibault Lavernhe assumed command of the air defense frigate Chevalier Paul, succeeding Captain Jean-Ythier Verly. Verly's two-year tenure included extensive deployments from the Baltic Sea to the Arabian-Persian Gulf, totaling over 363 days away from Toulon. Notable operations included rescuing the tanker Sounion in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, engaging a surface drone threatening the Red Sea, rescuing the crew of the Minerva Graech under Houthi threat in the Gulf of Aden, and escorting the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during the Middle East crisis. On 10 July, Lieutenant Commander François Mauger took command of the Navy Meteorological and Oceanographic Expertise Center (CENTEX METOC), and Captain Bertrand de Parscau du Plessix assumed command of Crew A of the multi-mission frigate Bretagne.
Source report
This week, 9 ships and 3 units changed commanders.
28 June – Air Defense Frigate Chevalier Paul
Rear Admiral Thibault Haudos de Possesse, commander of the carrier strike group, recognized Captain (N) Thibault Lavernhe as commander of the air defense frigate (FDA) Chevalier Paul. He succeeds Captain (N) Jean-Ythier Verly.
During his two years of command, Captain Jean-Ythier Verly led the crew of the Chevalier Paul from the Baltic Sea to the Arabian-Persian Gulf. Over three deployments in the Indian Ocean, the Chevalier Paul:
- Directed rescue operations for the tanker Sounion, which was adrift in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, notably engaging a surface drone that threatened the Red Sea with an oil spill.
- Contributed to rescuing the crew of the Minerva Graech, a vessel adrift in the Gulf of Aden under the threat of Houthi fire.
- Participated in reassuring partners in the Arabian-Persian Gulf.
- Escorted the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in a context of acute crisis in the Middle East.
- Conducted counter-narcotics operations during the final mission.
In total, the Chevalier Paul was deployed more than 363 days away from its homeport of Toulon.
10 July – Navy Meteorological and Oceanographic Expertise Center (CENTEX METOC)
Lieutenant Commander François Mauger took command of CENTEX METOC.
10 July – Multi-Mission Frigate Bretagne (Crew A)
Captain Bertrand de Parscau du Plessix took command of crew A of the multi-mission frigate Bretagne.
Source
Ministère des Armées et des Anciens combattantsWestern
Part of this Story
French Navy Command Handovers: Week 29, 2026