intercept electronic surveillance systems and two Dagaie decoy systems. The frigate is equipped with a helicopter landing pad located on the stern and a hangar. The ship is capable of operating the embarked Eurocopter AS565 Panther up to sea state 5. Ventôse is capable of operating helicopters up to the size of the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma. The ship has a complement of 90 including the aircrew and officers and 24 marines with capacity for a further 13 personnel. Construction and career Ventôse was ordered as part of the second pair on 9 January 1990 from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for construction at their yard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and the keel was laid down on 28 June 1991. The frigate was built using modular construction methods which reduced the vessel's construction time. Ventôse was launched on 14 March 1992 and commissioned into the French Navy on 5 May 1993. Following sea trials, Ventôse sailed for Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient where the weapons and sensors were installed and underwent further trials. Ventôse is stationed in the Caribbean Sea to patrol French oversea territories in the region. The vessel was assigned to the French Antilles, stationed at Martinique. In 2005, in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the United States, the frigate was offered as part of the French response. However, the United States declined France's offer. In June 2009, Ventôse took part in the recovery operation for the Air France Flight 447 which crashed some off the northeast coast of Brazil. On 6 and 7 January 2012, Ventôse intercepted two sailboats, Jo Ann Moore and Sangria, off Guadeloupe. Jo Ann Moore was stopped first and searched, with its four crew apprehended. Leaving a small party aboard the sailboat, the frigate made off to the southwest to catch up with the second sailboat, Sangria. The three crew members on board Sangria were arrested and 45 bundles comprising of cocaine were seized. On 30 November 2012, Ventôse was alerted to the presence of a smuggler's go-fast boat by an American patrol aircraft. The smugglers were forcibly stopped and three crew were arrested along with the seizure of of cocaine. In June 2015, the frigate stopped a go-fast boat and seized of marijuana. On 3–4 June, Ventôse moved to intercept the Anguillan-flagged coastal trading vessel Lady Margaret, suspected of smuggling. Lady Margaret was stopped without incident and the boarding party from Ventôse uncovered