On 14 May 2001,
Surcouf rendered assistance to the skipper of
Biscuits La Trinitaine-Team Ethypharm, who had to abandon his ship after her starboard hull was seriously damaged. The catamaran's crew of five were airlifted to safety by helicopter. On 14 October 2004,
Surcouf assisted
Sara 2, a Panamanian cargo ship which ran aground near
Yemen. The 16-man crew was successfully airlifted by the Panther helicopter, and later transferred from the frigate to the Yemeni coast guard. Between 17 and 21 May 2008,
Surcouf participated in Exercise KhunjarHaad, a multi-national exercise held in the
Gulf of Oman. Other participating warships included the American destroyer , the British frigate , the British
fleet replenishment tanker and four other coalition ships conducted air defense; surface warfare operation;
visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS); and joint gunnery exercises, which focused on joint interoperability training and proficiency. In November 2012
Surcouf deployed to the
Horn of Africa as part of the European Union's Naval Operation in the area. A British
Lynx HMA.8 helicopter of
815 Squadron was on board for the whole four-month deployment, along with 12 personnel including 2
Royal Marine snipers. This was the first extended deployment of a
Royal Navy helicopter on a French warship and was the result of a treaty between the
United Kingdom and
France to share military resources and conduct more joint operations. In 2021,
Surcouf deployed to the Pacific accompanying the French Navy helicopter assault ship . In April 2022,
Surcouf, with a Panther helicopter embarked, again deployed to the Indian Ocean to relieve her sister ship . From 26 until 30 May 2022,
Surcouf trained with the
Kuwait Naval Force. In October 2023
Surcouf was deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean during the
Gaza war, joining the helicopter assault ship
Tonnerre and the frigate which were also deployed to the region.
Surcouf had been scheduled to undergo a modest structural and technical upgrade (with the elderly Crotale SAM to be removed from the vessel) and, given somewhat reduced general purpose capability, be re-assigned to offshore patrol duties prior to her planned withdrawal from service in 2027. While initially there was some uncertainty as to whether this change in role would take place, in 2024 Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, chief of the naval staff, told the
National Assembly that
Surcouf and her sister ship
Guépratte would undertake the offshore patrol role in order to fill a gap created by the delayed arrival of the
Patrouilleurs Hauturiers OPVs. It was also subsequently reported that the frigate would be extended in service for five years, until 2032. == References ==