![]() The 94-metre frigate is not nuclear-powered and does not carry nuclear weapons. The French frigate responded to the mayday call and used its radar to help locate the distressed vessel. Stunned Coastguard crew came across the ship during the search for a stricken yacht. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was blindsided on Monday when the Herald asked him what the ship - which is fitted with a 100mm artillery turret, and two mounted 20mm guns - was doing off Auckland's coast. However, the French Embassy said FS Vendémiaire was simply conducting sea trials after undergoing maintenance in Auckland and that its presence in domestic waters had been notified to New Zealand authorities. ![]() Radio silence from authorities and embassy officials about why the heavily armed navy vessel was located earlier this month within New Zealand's 12 nautical mile territorial limit sparked speculation from a defence expert that it may have been hunting Chinese submarines operating near New Zealand waters. The mystery surrounding a French warship found by Coastguard "lurking" in the Hauraki Gulf appears to have been solved, with the French Embassy providing fresh details on the frigate's surprise discovery. The French navy's frigate Le Vendémiaire moored at the international port in Manila on 8 March, 2022.
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