The multi-mission frigate (FREMM) Bretagne made a stopover in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon at the beginning of 2026. It was the first time a FREMM had passed through this French territory in North America.
This stopover is part of the missions regularly carried out by the French Navy in the Far North. These deployments contribute to France’s autonomous assessment of the situation in the North Atlantic, to the development of interoperability with allies and to enrich feedback on the various support points in the region as well as on the navigation conditions specific to this area. The presence of the FREMM and its Caïman Marine helicopter also made it possible to contribute to sovereignty and surveillance missions in the French EEZ of the archipelago and to train with the administrations present on the territory.
In this year 2026, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Navy, this stopover also recalls the historical links between the Navy and this territory, marked by figures such as the explorer Jacques Cartier, the privateer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville or by the memory of the Drum Crab (1977), a film by Pierre Schoendoerffer that highlights the many support missions carried out by the Navy for the benefit of fishing.