French Submarine FNS Améthyste Visits Naval Station Norfolk

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Cameron Stoner | French submarine FNS Améthyste (S605) moors pier side at Naval Station Norfolk, Sept. 16, 2021. During the visit, Améthyste will be hosted by the U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) as the two nations remember the Battle of the Capes, the decisive French victory over the British Fleet during the American Revolutionary War. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cameron Stoner)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

09.22.2021

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cameron Stoner 

Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic

The French submarine FNS Améthyste (S605) visited Naval Station Norfolk, Sept. 16-19.

During the boat’s arrival, sailors aboard Améthyste were welcomed by Submarine Force Atlantic and Joint Forces Command Norfolk. The French submariners were also hosted by the crew of the U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) throughout their visit.

The two nations took time to remember the Battle of the Capes, the decisive French victory over the British Fleet during the American Revolutionary War.

“In September 1781, a French fleet won the Battle of the Capes, leading to a combined U.S.-French victory at Yorktown and American independence,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Vandenengel, John Warner’s executive officer. “240 years later, the great ship FNS Améthyste sailed directly by the site of that battle as they came into Norfolk today, continuing a longstanding tradition of strong ties between our two great navies and nations. John Warner is honored to host Cmdr. Schaeffer and the officers and crew of Améthyste as we work to further strengthen that alliance.”

Capt. Jeremy Pelstring, assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron 6, and Vandenengel also exchanged gifts with Cmdr. Aymeric Schaeffer, Améthyste’s commanding officer. After the gift exchange, Améthyste sailors were able to unwind with their American counterparts as the two crews enjoyed food and drinks on the pier.

Prior to Améthyste’s arrival in Naval Station Norfolk, the French submarine stopped at Naval Submarine Base New London for a scheduled port visit.

Améthyste was commissioned in 1992 as the fifth in the Rubis class of nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines. The boat’s last visit to Naval Station Norfolk was in 2018.

The mission of the Submarine Force is to execute the Department of the Navy’s mission in and from the undersea domain. In addition to lending added capacity to naval forces, the Submarine Force, in particular, is expected to leverage those special advantages that come with undersea concealment to permit operational, deterrent and combat effects that the Navy and the nation could not otherwise achieve.

The Submarine Force and supporting organizations constitute the primary undersea arm of the Navy. Submarines and their crews remain the tip of the undersea spear.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2021
• Date Posted: 09.22.2021 14:34
• Story ID: 405791
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US