side and can replenish two ships per side and one astern. As built, Durance had capacity for of fuel oil, of diesel oil, of JP-5 aviation fuel, of distilled water, of provisions, of munitions and of spare parts. Meuse had capacity for of fuel oil, of diesel, of JP-5 aviation fuel, of distilled water, of provisions, of munitions and of spare parts. The final three ships of the class differed from Meuse by carrying of diesel fuel, of JP-5 aviation fuel, of munitions and of spare parts. These numbers changed with the needs of the fleet. The Durance-class tankers all mount a flight deck over the stern and a hangar. The ships utilised Aérospatiale Alouette III and Westland Lynx helicopters (prior to the retirement of both types) but are capable of operating larger ones from their flight deck. For defence, Durance was armed with twin-mounted Bofors /L60 anti-aircraft (AA) guns. The other four ships initially mounted one Bofors 40 mm/L60 AA guns and two AA guns in a twin turret. They are equipped with two DRBN 34 navigational radars. The armament was later altered for the final four ships by removing the 20 mm guns and adding four M2 Browning machine guns and three launchers for Simbad Mistral surface-to-air missiles. Meuse had only one launcher installed. The ships have a complement of 162 and are capable of accommodating 250 personnel. Ships in class Five ships of the class were built for the French Navy: Three ships of the class (Marne, Somme, and Var) were fitted out as flagships able to embark an admiral and his staff. The 2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security planned to replace them with four new double-hulled tankers between 2018 and 2021. However, Meuse was decommissioned in December 2015 under budget cuts announced a year earlier and Var followed in 2021. They will be replaced under the FLOTLOG project by four derivatives of Italy's Vulcano Logistic Support Ship, scheduled to be delivered in 2023, 2025, 2027 and (subject to ratification of the next procurement plan) 2029. Construction and career The first four tankers were constructed by the Arsenal de Brest at Brest, France between 1973 and 1987. The fifth and final ship was ordered in March 1984 as part of the 1984–1988 plan and was built by Normed at their yard La Seyne, France. The Durance-class ships began entering service in 1976 were