France Navy Commandant Birot Retired

Decommissioned at Toulon on 3 October 2025, when the final colours ceremony was held with the ship already in dry dock ahead of dismantling. The rear admiral serving as Toulon deputy to the admiral commanding the naval action force received the unit's pennant. Admitted to active service in March 1984, Commandant Birot logged more than one million nautical miles and over 4,000 days at sea across 41 years, latterly as an offshore patrol vessel on Corymbe deployments off West Africa and NATO missions in the Mediterranean. She was one of the last survivors of the 17-strong A69 series.