French helicopter carrier joins warships moored at Malaga's port

The warship that has been moored at Malaga's port as of Sunday, 22 June - Dixmude (L9015) - is a helicopter carrier. It was berthed early in the afternoon in the maximum security area of the Levante dock.

Although it is diffcult to observe the vessel, given its location which prevents curious passersby from getting closer to it, the ship is of imposing dimensions.

The Dixmude is an amphibious assault ship of the French Navy, measuring 199 metres in length and 32 metres wide. The main feature of this vessel is that it functions as a helicopter carrier, with a flight deck of 6,400 square metres and six landing sites. The hangar has space available for between 16 and 30 aircraft of this type (depending on the type of helicopter). In addition, it offers the possibility of transporting up to 40 Leclerc heavy tanks on two decks.

In addition to its war-fighting capabilities, it also has an 885 square metre dock to accommodate four landing craft and two hovercraft. It provides accommodation for 450 soldiers with their full equipment (this number can be doubled on short trips) and a crew of 177. In terms of armament, it has two 30mm Breda Mauser cannons and four 12.7mm light guns, as well as two Simbad missile launching systems.

The port of Malaga has been receiving the technical stops of Spanish and European warships for a few days now, which, coincidence or not, happens as the war between Israel and Iran escalates. Currently moored at the dock 2 (Palmeral) is also Galicia (L-51) - an amphibious assault ship of the Spanish Navy, with a length of 160 metres and a beam of 25 metres.

It is designed to carry an infantry battalion of 400 soldiers with all their equipment. It is also equipped with a medical wing, operating theatre and a laboratory, as well as an arsenal for naval ammunition of all types, including space for 30 torpedoes. In addition, it can carry 33 battle tanks, 170 armoured vehicles, six light or four heavy landing craft. It is scheduled to leave on Monday.

At the Levante dock, there is also the Cantabria (A-15) - a 174-metre combat supply ship. As with the previous ships, the stated purpose of its visit was to stop over for rest and provisioning, among other things.