French service Siroco was deployed to
East Timor as part of the Australian-led
INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 10 October to 25 November 1999. She served during
Opération Baliste during the
2006 Lebanon War. The vessel operated as part of
Opération Séisme Haiti 2010 after the 12 January
2010 Haiti earthquake relief effort. In December 2013
Siroco was serving as the
flagship of
European Union Naval Force Somalia.
Siroco was to be decommissioned as stated in the
2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security. The decision was confirmed in October 2014. In July 2015, the ship was decommissioned in French service.
Sale In December 2014 the Brazilian Navy showed interest in the ship and sent a team to evaluate her. According to the analysis, the ship was in good general condition and recommended purchase. The
Portuguese Navy also showed interest in the ship, during joint naval exercises with the
French Navy, in March 2015. However, when the acquisition process of
Siroco was already at an advanced stage, the Minister of Defense of Portugal signed an renunciation order cancelling the process on 30 July 2015. The renunciation was justified by the identification of several incompatibilities between the ship and other hardware in use by Portugal, including its inability to support the operation of the Portuguese
EH101 helicopters. Following the Portuguese withdrawal, on 7 August 2015, the Ministry of Defense of Brazil announced the acquisition of
Siroco for the Brazilian Navy for €80 million. The deal includes landing craft, spare parts, missile launchers for the
Mistral missile, and training. The ship was renamed
Bahia and given the identification number G40. Provisionally commissioned into the Brazilian Navy on 10 December 2015, the ship officially incorporated the vessel into service on 10 March 2016. To bring the ship into Brazilian service, a contract was signed with
DCNS for €7.5 million.
Brazilian service The purchase of the ship allowed an increase in the amphibious and aerial capabilities of the
Brazilian Navy, as well as contributing to the maintenance of the logistics of the
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti and humanitarian aid thanks to the hospital center that Bahia has. Its airborne group in Brazilian Navy is composed by 2 helicopters
Eurocopter EC725 and 2
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk. ==References==