Nuclear Powered French Aircraft Carrier (Planned): FS Verdun (1958) Back in 1958, after the Clemenceau class was decided, was approved a third, much larger PA58 project or “Verdun class”: A nuclear-capable aircraft carrier. Authorized in 1958 it had dimensions already close to USN supercarriers. However Verdun was eventually cancelled before construction. It was engineered to … Read more
ASW Escorts (1956 to 1985): F 765-778: Le Normand, Le Picard, Le Gascon, Le Lorrain, Le Bourguignon, Le Champenois, Le Savoyard, Le Breton, Le Basque, L’Agenais, Le Bearnais, L’Alsacien, Le Provençal, Le Vendeen Second entry for French Cold War (true) Frigates: The “Le Normand” class or E52 type escort were a followed up of the … Read more
MDAA ex-US Independence class Carriers: FS La Fayette (R96), Bois Belleau (R95) (1951/53-1960/63) The “Lafayette class” were two ex-US Independence class aircraft carriers loaned to France to fight the Indochina War. Lafayette was acquired in 1951 and later modernized, returned in 1963 as the ex-USS langley. FS Bois Belleau was the ex USS Belleau Woods … Read more
ASW Escorts (1955-56 to 1975-77): F761 Le Corse, F762 Le Brestois, F763 Le Boulonnais, F764 Le Bordelais. New Cycle ! French Cold War Frigates: First entry, the “Le Corse” class or E50 escort were among the few brand new warships built in France in 1950, financed under MDAP as battle group ASW fast escorts. These … Read more
Fleet Aircraft Carrier Project (1947) The original Clemenceau was a secret project elaborated after the Joffre class (started but never completed) was further developed in the occupation, with the idea of building a modernized variant after the war ended. This culminated in August 1947 when the design was approved and construction ordered. She was to … Read more
French Navy: 5 Frigates (F710-714), active: La Fayette, Surcouf, Courbet, Aconit, Guépratte. Bastille Day ! The Lafayette class were the last French Frigates designed in the Cold War, with a construction which started in 1990 and five completed until 2001, all active today and modernized. Their specificity was to embrace fully the stealthy characteristics we … Read more
Nuclear Ballistic Attack Submarines (S641-651). Service 1964-1996: Le Redoutable, Le Terrible, Le Foudroyant, L’indomptable, Le Tonnant, L’inflexible S-611 to S-615 The “Le Redoutable” was the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines class of the French Navy, with six built built in two upgraded batches between 1867 and 1985. First class built in continental western Europe and … Read more
Conventional Ballistic Submarine (Built 1963-66). Service 1966-1986. Gymnote (S655) was an experimental submarine of the French Navy, a conventional model which only purpose was to test submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), powered by diesel electric engines and had four tubes. Gymnote was previously the world’s first all-electric submarine, built in France in the late 19th century. … Read more
Guided missile Frigates 1976-2022: D 614 FS Cassard, D 615 Jean Bart, Courbet* D 616, D 617 (cancelled) The Cassard class (Type F70 AA) were the two last “classic” anti-air warfare destroyers (before stealth was introduced) of the French Navy. They were built in the 1980s and only the first two were completed. The next … Read more
Conventional Attack Submarines (S641-651). Service 1964-1996: Daphné, Diane, Doris, Eurydice, Flore, Galatée, Minerve, Junon, Vénus, Psyché, Sirène +15 exported. We continue our dive in cold war French submarines with a later conventional design called the Daphné class. These were not “sous-marins de patrouille” or patrol submarines, but follow-up hunter-killer of the Arethuse class. They were … Read more
