The Chaland de transport de matériel (CTM) is a French landing craft class, also operated by the navies of Chile, Djibouti, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Senegal. The design is based on the American LCM-8-class landing craft and were initially ordered to support France's nuclear testing in the Pacific. Constructed in two batches, the first batch of 16 vessels have been removed from French service with some transferred to other navies, the others being discarded. The second batch consisting of 17 vessels is split, with some being transferred to other nations and some remaining in service with the French Navy. The remaining vessels in French service are being replaced with a new landing craft design. As of January 2023, it was reported that only five of the landing craft remained in French Navy service.[1]
The CTMs are landing craft that are derived from the American LCM-8 class. They measure 23.8m (78.1feet) long with a beam of 6.35m (20.83feet) and a draught of 1.25m (04.1feet). Each ship has a bow ramp. They have a standard displacement between 48and and fully loaded displacement of 150t. The vessels are propelled by two propellers that were initially driven by two Poyaud 520 V8 diesel engines capable of creating 330kW. They were later exchanged for Poyaud-Wärtsilä 18V8M1 diesels creating . This gave the CTMs a maximum speed of 9.5kn. The ships carry 3.4t of fuel and have a range of 380nmi at . The landing craft have capacity for 90t of cargo and room for 200 personnel. They are equipped with a small navigational radar and two 12.7mm machine guns. The machine guns are often not mounted. The vessels had an initial complement of 6, declining to 4.
The CTMs were constructed in two batches. The first three ships of the first batch were ordered on 18 July 1964. Further orders were placed in 1965 and 1966. The first batch consisting of CTM 1 to CTM 16, was constructed in the 1960s to support nuclear testing in the Pacific. A second series was ordered in 1982 to replace the older, worn out units. Six units were operated by the French Army, but were returned to the navy in 2010. Several vessels have since been transferred to navies around the world, including Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Chile and Brazil while others have been cannibalised for spare parts.
| Chaland de transport de matériel construction data | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Builder | In service | Fate |
| CTM 1 | CMN, Cherbourg, France | 1965 | Disarmed 31 March 1982 and sold for scrap in 1985.[2] | |
| CTM 2 | 1965 | Stricken in 1999 and transferred to Morocco in May 1999. | ||
| CTM 3 | 1965 | Disarmed in 2004 and sold for scrap in 2012.[3] | ||
| CTM 4 | C.N. Auroux, Arcachon, France | 1966 | Removed from service on 21 April 1986 and sunk as a target ship off Papeete in 2001.[4] | |
| CTM 5 | 1966 | Placed in reserve in 1998.[5] Stricken in 1999 and transferred to Senegal in May 1999. | ||
| CTM 6 | CMN, Cherbourg, France | 1966 | Sunk as a target ship on 20 October 1988 off Papeete.[6] | |
| CTM 7 | 1966 | Stricken on 6 September 1985 after being sunk as a target ship on 19 August 1985.[7] | ||
| CTM 8 | 1967 | Stricken 6 September 1985.[8] | ||
| CTM 9 | Mayumba | 1967 | Stricken 1999. | |
| CTM 10 | Guéréro | 1967 | Stricken 1999. | |
| CTM 11 | C.N. Auroux, Arcachon, France | 1967 | Stricken 4 August 1983 and sunk as a target ship off Papeete in 1984.[9] | |
| CTM 12 | CMN, Cherbourg, France | 1967 | Cannibalised for spare parts. Stricken 24 February 2000 and sold in 2001 to private interests.[10] | |
| CTM 13 | 1967 | Stricken 11 April 1995, the vessel sank after being towed out to sea and scuttled.[11] | ||
| CTM 14 | Tchibana | 1967 | Taken out of service in 1999 and transferred to the Djiboutian Navy.[12] | |
| CTM 15 | Koutio | 1972 | Stricken 1999 and transferred to the Ivory Coast in March 1999. The vessel was renamed Aby.[13] | |
| CTM 16 | 1972 | Cannibalised for spare parts. Stricken 1999 and transferred to the Ivory Coast in March 1999. The vessel was renamed Tiagha.[14] | ||
| CTM 17 | C.N. Auroux, Arcachon, France | 1982 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 18 | 1982 | Status unclear as of 2023 | ||
| CTM 19 | Do Ha | CMN, Cherbourg, France | 1983 | Transferred to Chile in 2011.[15] Renamed Fuentes[16] or Reyes[17] |
| CTM 20 | Néké Grav | 1983 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 21 | Guéréro | 1983 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 22 | Kien An | 1982 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 23 | Song Can | 1983 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 24 | 1984 | Transferred to Chile in 2011. Renamed Fuentes or Reyes | ||
| CTM 25 | 1984 | Status unclear as of 2023 | ||
| CTM 26 | 1985 | Status unclear as of 2023 | ||
| CTM 27 | Indochine | 1986 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 28 | Tonkin | 1988 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 29 | Nui Dho | 1988 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 30 | Tchibana | 1989 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
| CTM 31 | Koutio | 1992 | Status unclear as of 2023 | |
A new landing craft was developed by STX France and DCNS, called the CTM NG, with the CTM referring to this class and the NG meaning "Nouvelle Génération". These vessels represent an improved design over the Chaland de transport de matériel.[18] [19]
The remaining CTMs are being gradually replaced from 2021 by fourteen new Engins de débarquement amphibie standard (standard amphibious landing craft) – EDA-S – built by SOCARENAM over a period of ten years. With a slightly larger size, they will be deployed from the and overseas bases.[20] [21] French forces deployed in overseas bases in Mayotte, New Caledonia, Martinique and French Guiana are to receive one vessel each in order to support local operations. Two vessels are also planned to be deployed for operations around Djibouti. The vessels have a payload capacity of 65 to 80 tonnes at a maximum speed of (at full load). The first two EDA-S vessels (Arbalète and Arquebuse) were delivered to the navy in November 2021[22] [23] and entered service in July 2022. The next four in the program are intended for the naval base at Toulon and are to start delivery in mid-2023.[24] Deliveries will continue up to 2025.[25]