TWO French Navy training ships have paid a visit to Dartmouth.

The visit was part of the ongoing twinning agreement between Dartmouth's Britannia Royal Naval College and École Navale in Brest.

The twinning agreement came into being in January, 2009, with the aim of developing the professional, cultural, social and sporting links which already existed between the Royal Navy and the French Navy.

The 470-tonne FS Tigre and FS Lion were berthed at Sandquay.

The ships are crewed by cadets from the École Navale Navale, the French Naval equivalent of BRNC, and are primarily used for navigation training.

Royal Navy cadets had the opportunity to meet with their French Navy counterparts, tour the ships and swap their experiences of training so far.

A number of competitive events between the two navies were arranged using the facilities at BRNC.

The commanding officers of FS Tigre and FS Lion paid a visit to the Mayor of Dartmouth, Cllr Paul Allen, during the stay, and the French Navy also hosted a small reception on board ship for invited guests.

Lieutenant Charles Chevillot, BRNC's French naval liaison officer, said: "The French ships received a very warm welcome, both by the town and the college.

"This was a great opportunity for the French naval cadets to explore the town and interact with their Royal Navy counterparts.

"The commanding officers of both ships were pleased to welcome guests on board their vessels for a cocktail party, which everyone really appreciated.

"After a successful weekend Tigre and Lion proceeded to sea to continue the French cadets' training at sea."