The French frigate Dupleix was a Georges Leygues-class F70 type guided-missile frigate built for the French Navy during the 1970s. She was constructed at the Arsenal de Brest, with her keel laid down on October 17, 1975, launched on December 2, 1978, and commissioned into service on June 13, 1981. The vessel served during the Cold War era until her decommissioning in 2014. Dupleix measured approximately 139 meters (456 feet) in length, with a beam of 14 meters (45 feet 11 inches) and a draught of 5.7 meters (18 feet 8 inches). Her displacement was around 3,830 tonnes (3,770 long tons) at standard load, increasing to approximately 4,500–4,580 tonnes (4,430–4,510 long tons) at full load. Power was provided by a CODOG propulsion system combining a SEMT-Pielstick 16PA6-V280 diesel engine and a Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbine, enabling speeds up to 30 knots (56 km/h). This configuration granted her a range of 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km) at 17 knots. Dupleix’s armament included four MM38 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers placed aft of the funnel, a 100-mm dual-purpose Modèle 1968 gun turret forward of the superstructure, and two 20 mm guns. Her anti-aircraft defenses featured an octuple Crotale missile launcher with 26 reloads. For anti-submarine warfare, she was equipped with two torpedo launchers, each holding ten torpedoes, and could operate two Westland Lynx ASW helicopters stored in a double hangar at the stern. The ship’s sensor suite comprised a DRBV 51C search radar, DRBC 32E fire-control radar, DRBV 26 early-warning radar, DUBV 23B hull-mounted sonar, and DUBV 43B towed variable depth sonar. For electronic countermeasures, she was fitted with Syllex chaff launchers and was integrated into the SENIT 4 tactical data system. Dupleix served as a versatile anti-submarine and anti-ship escort during her operational years before her decommissioning in 2014, after which she was taken to Saint-Mandrier to serve as a diving school replacement.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.