Heller 1:400 - Jeanne D'Arc

The helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc, built at the Brest Arsenal between 1959 an 1961 was first launched under the provisional name La Résolue and subsequently given the name Jeanne d'Arc on 16th July 1964, the day of its commissioning. In peacetime, the Jeanne d'Arc was used as a training establishment by the French training squadron for naval officers. At that time, the helicopter carrier had an air group comprising of two Alouette III helicopters from French Naval Aviation, reinforced by a detachment of combat helicopters from French Army Read More...ight Aviation (ALAT) including two Puma or Cougars and three Gazelles, with a crew of 40 men. In wartime, the Jeanne d'Arc deployed on combat missions, both in the field of anti-submarine warfare, carrying 8 WG-13 Lynx helicopters, and in the field of foreign missions, deploying ALAT Pumas and Gazelles and transporting landing troops. On 21 May 2010, the Jeanne d'Arc made her penultimate travel to the port of her affiliated city, Rouen, before making final travel to Brest on 27th May 2010, docking at the Malbert quay where she was met by thousands of spectators. The Jeanne d'Arc is to be laid up at Brest Arsenal in summer 2010. The spare materials will be unloaded first, then some fixtures which are to be reused aboard other vessels. Subsequently, an inventory of polluting substances will be carried out. The archives and the legacy of the vessel will be preserved and displayed by the French Naval History Service.At 2am on Wednesday 26 May 2010, in a final show of strength, engineers brought the engines of the "Grand Old Lady" up to a speed of 30,9 Knots (close to 57 km/h)  It was partly possible to achieve this speed thanks to the Raz Blanchard current. The speed then displayed in the log was 29,4 knots (50 km/h), set shortly after the vessel's launch. Model Information Contains: 293 Pieces Skill Level: Advanced Age: 14+  Read Less