225 days of absence from the home port

A change of command ceremony was held on July 22 at the Toulon naval base.

Vice-admiral Pierre de Briançon, chief of staff of the Force d'Action Navale (ALFAN), appointed Lieutenant Commander (CC) Alexandra Adams as commander of the metropolitan support and assistance vessel (BSAM) Loire, crew A. She succeeds Lieutenant (LV) Damien Casini, who held this position for two years.

A dense operational record

The 24-month mandate of Lieutenant Damien Casini was marked by sustained activity. Crew A of the Loire accumulated 225 days of absence from the home port, traveling 22,000 nautical miles.

During this period, the vessel was engaged in numerous missions under the Action de l'État en Mer (AEM), including fisheries protection and environmental surveillance operations in the golfe du Lion and off the coast of Corse, with more than 50 inspections carried out.

The Loire also participated in cooperation missions with partner navies and provided logistical support during major exercises such as CUTAWAY and TRACUS.

One of her most notable missions was escorting a submarine of the Force Océanique Stratégique (FOST) during its transit through the Suez canal, demonstrating the vessel's versatility. The final figures also include 17 towing operations and 24 port calls.

A career of excellence

Originally from Orléans (Loiret) where she was born in 1992, Lieutenant Commander Alexandra Adams entered the École Navale in 2013. Upon her graduation in 2016, she began her career on the anti-aircraft frigate Cassard.

Her career then led her to hold positions of increasing responsibility, such as department head on the La Fayette-type frigate Guépratte and then on the air defense frigate (FDA) Chevalier Paul, aboard which she participated in the FOCH mission in 2020.

In 2021, she was assigned to the multi-mission frigate (FREMM) Aquitaine (crew B) in an international geopolitical context made unstable by the invasion of Ukraine.

In 2023, she returned to the FDA Chevalier Paul and took part in prominent missions: operation AKILA within the carrier strike group, then the European mission ASPIDES aimed at protecting maritime traffic in the Red Sea.

Since the summer of 2025, she had been putting her operational experience to use in the ENTRAINEMENT division of ALFAN. Lieutenant Commander Adams is a Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite Maritime.