The Digester

French FREMM Aquitaine wins U.S. 6th Fleet Hook Em ASW award

Mar 11th 2026

The French Navy FREMM frigate Aquitaine won the U.S. 6th Fleet Hook Em award for anti-submarine excellence in the North Atlantic, marking the fifth French win and the fourth for a FREMM.

  • The French frigate Aquitaine (FREMM) received the quarterly Hook Em award in Naples for anti-submarine warfare performance in the North Atlantic during 2025.
  • The award was presented by Commodore Doug Sattler (CTF 69) to the commander of crew B of Aquitaine, according to a French Atlantic Command LinkedIn post dated March 11.
  • This is the fifth time a French unit has won the 6th Fleet Hook Em award and the fourth time the prize has gone to a FREMM frigate.
  • The Hook Em award recognizes superior ASW readiness, proficiency, and operational impact and was created in 1975, discontinued about two decades later, and reestablished in 2016.
  • French officials credited FREMM sensors and data processing, plus the Caïman Marine helicopter, for making the ships highly effective submarine hunters.
  • U.S. Navy feedback on FREMM performance influenced the decision to fit Thales CAPTAS-4 variable depth sonar on planned U.S. frigates, a program later cancelled.

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