French destroyer Chevalier Paul is in Malta for a three day visit.
The state-of-the-art vessel owes its name to French navy legend Jean-Paul de Saumeur, who was also a Knight of the Order of Malta. Saumeur was such a successful mariner that in 1659 he was made Commander of the Order.
The vessel itself is part of the Horizon programme, a trilateral programme between France, the UK and later Italy for air defence. This then became a Franco-Italian programme and contributed to the development and the construction of the Chevalier Paul and the Forbin as well as the Italian Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio.