FS Charles de Gaulle

Development

Construction

The carrier replaced the Foch conventionally powered aircraft carrier in 2001. The Clemenceau and Foch were completed in 1961 and 1963 respectively; the requirement for a replacement was identified in the mid 1970s.

Related Topics:
Foch - 2001 - Clemenceau - 1961 - 1963 - 1970s

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The hull was laid down in April 1989 at the DCN Brest Naval shipyard. The carrier was completed in May 1994 and at 35,500 tonnes was the largest warship launched in Western Europe since HMS Ark Royal in 1950.

Related Topics:
1989 - DCN - Brest - 1994 - Western Europe - HMS ''Ark Royal'' - 1950

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She was named Richelieu in 1986, after the famous French politician Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal and Duc de Richelieu (following a traditional name for capital ships in the French Navy, see battleship Richelieu for instance), but was renamed to Charles De Gaulle the year after by Prime Minister of the time, Jacques Chirac.

Related Topics:
1986 - Richelieu - Battleship ''Richelieu'' - Jacques Chirac

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Spying incident

In 1993, a group of MI6 officers posing as engineers were discovered inspecting the vessel during its construction. It is believed they were evaluating the method of shielding the nuclear reactors.

Related Topics:
1993 - MI6

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Trials and technical problems

The Charles De Gaulle entered sea trials in 1999 which identified the need to extend the flight deck to safely operate the E-2C Hawkeye. This operation induced a bad perception in the population, though the same operation had been performed on both the Foch and the Clemenceau when F-8 Crusader aircraft had been introduced, and that the 5 million francs for the extension were 0,025% of the total budget for the Charles De Gaulle project.

Related Topics:
1999 - E-2C Hawkeye - Foch - Clemenceau - F-8 Crusader

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On 28 February 2000, a nuclear reactor trial triggered the combustion of additional isolation elements, producing a smoke incident.

Related Topics:
28 February - 2000

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During the night of the 9–10 November 2000, in the Western Atlantic, en route toward Norfolk, Virginia, the port propeller broke, and the ship had to return to Toulon to replace the faulty element. The following investigations showed similar structural defaults in the spare propellers: bubbles in the one-piece copper-aluminium alloy propellers near the center, blamed on the supplier. As a temporary solution, the less advanced propellers of the Foch and the Clemenceau were used, limiting the maximimum speed to 24 knots (44 km/h), instead of the contractual 27 knots (50 km/h). This did not affect air operations.

Related Topics:
9 - 10 November - Norfolk, Virginia - Port - Toulon - Foch - Clemenceau

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On 5 March 2001, the Charles De Gaulle went back to the sea with two older propellers, and sailed 25,2 knots (47 km/h) on her trials.

Related Topics:
5 March - 2001

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Between July and October, the Charles De Gaulle had to be refitted once more due to abnormal noises near the starboard propeller up to 100 dB, which rendered the aft part uninhabitable.

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On the 18 May 2001, the Charles De Gaulle was officially commissioned, somewhat tainted with a reputation as a financial black hole and as a bit of a lemon.

Related Topics:
18 May - Lemon

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