Thibault Lavernhe Takes Command of the Chevalier Paul
Captain Thibault Lavernhe has taken command of the air defense frigate Chevalier Paul, succeeding Captain Jean-Ythier Verly.
The air defense frigate (FDA) Chevalier Paul, one of the flagships of the Marine nationale, has a new commander.
On June 28, during an official ceremony, Rear Admiral Thibault de Possesse, head of the Force aéromaritime de réaction rapide, invested Captain (CV) Thibault Lavernhe with his new duties.
He succeeds Captain Jean-Ythier Verly, who led the ship and its crew for two years marked by intense operational activity.
A dense operational record
Under the command of Captain Jean-Ythier Verly, the Chevalier Paul sailed from the Baltic Sea to the Persian Gulf, demonstrating its versatility and endurance.
During three major deployments in the Indian Ocean, the frigate distinguished itself through decisive actions. It notably directed the rescue operations of the tanker Sounion, then adrift in the strategic Bab el Mandeb strait, by engaging a surface drone that prevented a potential oil spill in the Red Sea.
The crew contributed to saving the sailors of the Minerva Graech, another vessel in distress in the Gulf of Aden under threat of Houthi fire.
In addition to these rescue missions, the frigate participated in reassurance operations alongside France's partners in the Persian Gulf and escorted the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during a period of acute crisis in the Middle East. During this mission, the vessel conducted operations to combat drug trafficking.
In total, the Chevalier Paul was deployed for more than 363 days away from its home port of Toulon, an exceptional commitment for the crew.
An expert's background
Thibault Lavernhe takes the helm of the Chevalier Paul with solid experience in weapons systems and naval operations.
A graduate of the "Missiles and artillerie" specialty school, he has served on numerous units, from the patrol vessel P400 La Glorieuse in Nouvelle-Calédonie to the air defense frigate Forbin, on which he participated in its commissioning and the AGAPANTHE 2010 and HARMATTAN missions.
His career includes commanding the P400 La Tapageuse in Tahiti in 2011, and then the frigate Sourcouf in 2019. He knows the Chevalier Paul well, having been posted there as a combat system expert.
He served on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle as assistant to the head of the "Opérations" group, taking part in the first two ARROMANCHES deployments.
After graduating from the École de Guerre in 2017, he held positions in the human resources department of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, at the maritime prefecture of the Méditerranée and, more recently, at the Navy General Staff as program officer for the next-generation aircraft carrier France Libre.
Captain Thibault Lavernhe is a knight of the Légion d’honneur and of the Ordre national du Mérite.
He is co-author of the book Vaincre en mer au 21ème siècle (Editions Equateurs, 2023) and a member of the editorial committee of the Revue Défense Nationale.
Photo Marine nationale.