With two tall ships and two super yachts in West India Dock, the arrival of FS Scarpe of the French Maritime Gendarmerie has been somewhat overlooked. Part of the French Navy, the ships carry out a series of duties including chasing criminal activity, protection of the naval shore establishments and Search and rescue.
The FS Scarpe ( P604 ) is from the Vedette class which are based in various harbours of France, and are mainly used for coast guard duties including monitoring of pollution, sea police, and interception of illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.
The ship is 20 metres long and carries a crew of eight.
The arrival of the FS Scarpe adds to the interesting mix of ships in the dock at the moment and both the tall ships will be open to the public over the weekend.
Isle of Dogs Life 