M643 Andromede - Tripartite Minehunter 3D - 1/100 & 1/144

[Iceman 29]

The mast is almost finished, there is still an antenna to add.

Today I am focusing on the roof of the walkway and its equipment.






Departure from the port of Dieppe, France 2025:

Video: DroneInfoTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp3yC47v8tw

[Iceman 29]

Modifications to the mast, addition of the omnidirectional TV antenna, following the discovery of this recent video.
Drawing of the equipment on the roof of the walkway; there are still a few items to add.

[Iceman 29]

Start of the design for the rear articulated crane. I am using Ren� Lef�vre's Dutch plans, which I purchased, and numerous photos.

RC marine 211 and 212.

















Le Havre: Gardet et de B�zenac to dismantle seven former French Navy vessels.
By Vincent Groizeleau - 09/30/2025

The Le Havre-based dismantling company Gardet et de B�zenac Recycling has once again been selected by the Fleet Support Service (SSF) to dispose of seven old hulls from the French fleet. A former Batral, two P400s, three tripartite minesweepers (plastic hulls) and a tugboat will leave the Land�vennec marine graveyard, with the first transport beginning this week...

Eridan, Pers�e, Verseau.

https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/ ... -nationale

[Iceman 29]

A few small advances on the crane, which remains difficult to draw accurately.



















"Ukraine has received the Alkmaar minesweeper from the Netherlands, announced Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa.

He added that by the end of the year, Ukrainian defense vessels are expected to receive another ship of this type. Crew training is already underway.

The Alkmaar-class ship is designed to detect and destroy naval mines. It is equipped with remote-controlled vehicles for neutralizing them. It also has an automatic cannon, machine guns, and underwater drones."

[Iceman 29]

Work on the hydraulic system and the lifting winch at the end of the boom specific to French Chasseurs. It took me a few hours to draw because I don't have any plans, so I had to use fairly accurate photos as inspiration to produce a drawing that makes sense.

The series of hydraulic hoses and pipes also takes quite a long time to draw, and I'm not sure it will work when I apply pressure... And it's not finished yet.

[DrPR]

Nice work!

Pipes and hoses are tricky to make in 3D CAD Lots of irregular curves and angles.

Phil

[Iceman 29]

Indeed Phil, but But Fusion360 makes it fairly easy thanks to its advanced features.

Thank you for your support and compliments. It's always nice to hear and gives me the courage to finish this long-term project. It's a small boat, but it's loaded with all kinds of equipment and objects.

This articulated crane is finished, with just a few small details to sort out. And I have to make this crane in the folded position, at sea, but that's pretty easy to do with 3D once the design is finished.

As you may have noticed, I have created this crane in great detail so that it can be printed in 1/33 scale or other scales for a sailing model, just in case. This avoids having to redraw it if a request comes in.

[patrick camilleri]

Amazing! Absolutely Amazing! Can't wait to see the finished model!

[Iceman 29]

Thanks Patrick!

Here is the 0.750 tonne SWL crane (according to what I've read) in position. The rear of the hunter is finally taking shape!

As always, double-click on my photos to view them in high resolution.

[DrPR]

Pascal,

I find this build interesting because I was an officer on a minesweeper in the late 1960s. It was nothing like the high tech model you are building!

I am making a 1:48 scale model of my ship, the USS Cape MSI-2. I have posted a build log here:

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/37060- ... nt=1060350

Phil

[Iceman 29]

Very nice ship and model Phil!

[Iceman 29]

Adaptation of the Zodiac tire design I drew for the SS Delphine. The specific “Marine” fittings are still missing.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Razor sharp work--as always


will this be made into a tangible model?

Onwards

JIm Baumann

[Iceman 29]

Thanks, Jim, yes in two scale this time, 1/144 and 1/100

The PAP-104 (Poisson autopiloté/Auto-piloted Fish 104) is a French remotely operated underwater vehicle built by ECA Group and used for mine warfare.






As a robotics specialist, working closely with personnel from the DCAN in St Tropez who had the idea of a demonstrator for an underwater mine-clearing robot, ECA was also subcontracted by the Directorate General of Armament to develop the PAP (Poisson Autopropulsé Piloté), the world's first underwater mine-clearing robot. Development began in 1968 to meet the operational needs of the French Navy. The first PAP-104 underwater anti-mine robot was created in 1970. The DGA then ordered an initial batch of 10. This triggered the decision to establish ECA in Toulon in 1975, where the group's headquarters are currently located.

PAP robots became the benchmark in underwater mine clearance and were ECA's flagship products for 30 years, enjoying huge export success and sold under licence from the French Naval Construction and Armament Directorate (DCAN), making ECA the manufacturer that paid the most royalties to the DCAN during that period.

After a trial production run, the initial Mk2 production model was developed and delivered to the French Navy in 1977, followed by the Mk.3 export model. In 1983, based on a request from the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Mk4 was developed, increasing the operational depth from 120 m to 300 m. In 1986, the Mk5 was developed in response to new requirements from the Royal Navy. In the Royal Navy, early versions such as the Mk2 were introduced under the name RCMDS Mk2 (remote-controlled mine-disposal system).


By 2024, more than 500 units had been built and were in use by some 20 navies around the world. They carried out more than 30,000 operations in 1994 and 45,000 in 2024 in the Red Sea, the Falkland Islands, the Persian Gulf, etc.[2]

The eleven Tripartite-class minehunters in service in 2014 in the French Navy had 35 PAP-104s at that date[3]. They began to be withdrawn from service in the 2020s.

Characteristics

This model is used to eliminate mines detected by sonar. The PAP-104 itself is equipped with a classification sonar (Krupp Atlas AIS 11 high-frequency sonar) and a video camera for mine identification. It is controlled from the mother ship via fibre optics using a cable of up to 1,000 metres and operates up to 600 metres from the vessel. The propulsion system consists of an electric motor attached to both sides and an internal battery power source. It can be equipped with an explosive charge or an underwater grenade weighing between 96[5] and 126 kg[6] and two explosive mooring cutters. The device can be fired remotely or triggered by a CNC (Contre Nageurs de Combat) grenade[7] to deal with both moored and submerged mines. The Mk5 has an unladen weight of 570 kg. It can complete its mission in around 20 minutes.

A Mk6 version, introduced in 2017, is larger and has four electric motors. It is capable of manoeuvring in strong currents and can withstand harsh environmental conditions thanks to its high-powered propulsion capabilities. It can carry a heavy explosive charge, the NATO Mine Disposal Charge, Cutter.

Of course, no plans were found on the internet. As usual, we had to rely solely on photographs of the device. A good profile photo is a good place to start the project.















Almost 6 hours of drawing.

[JIM BAUMANN]

WOW !
six hours well spent!¬

Bravo!

JB

[Iceman 29]

Jim!

Taxiways for the two PAP-104s, still need to draw the wheeled cradles.

[Iceman 29]

Continuation of the drawing with the PAP-104 carriage. There are several versions, I chose this one manufactured in Le Havre by the Société Nouvelle des Ateliers et des Chantiers du Havre, a design that is not easy to achieve from a simple photo.

It's not finished, it's a draft, the traction system at the front of the carriage is missing, as well as quite a few small details.

It is, of course, made entirely of stainless steel, so it must be quite heavy. Note the four stainless steel leaf spring shock absorbers, which prevent the vehicle from vibrating at sea.

[Iceman 29]

The PAP-104 ROV is complete.











In action with his twin, who has found his place.

[Iceman 29]

Drawing of the rear deck bulkhead.

Schematic drawing of the rear winch. It took a lot of imagination to come up with a drawing that resembles this winch, as there was very little photographic information available. Sometimes you just have to make do with what you have. It won't be very visible given the mass of objects around it.

[Iceman 29]

Drawing of the two rear masts, which normally support two 7.7 mm machine guns that will need to be drawn.

Also draw the hyperbaric chamber for decompression accidents involving mine clearance or combat divers. It is a removable container module. The drawing is not finished.

Behind the six doors, there are 12 cylinders with different percentages of oxygen.