Founded in the 17th century, the French Navy is one of the oldest navies still in continuous service, with precursors dating back to the Middle Ages. It has taken part in key events in French history, including the Napoleonic Wars and both world wars, and played a critical role in establishing and securing the
French colonial empire for over 400 years. The French Navy pioneered several innovations in naval technology, including the first steam-powered
ship of the line, first seagoing
ironclad warship, first mechanically propelled
submarine, first steel-hulled warship, and first
armoured cruiser.
It operates a wide range of fighting vessels, including various aeronaval forces,
attack and
ballistic missilesubmarines,
frigates,
patrol boats and support ships, with aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle serving as the centerpiece of most expeditionary forces.
Origins
The history of French naval power dates back to the
Middle Ages, and had three loci of evolution:
The
Atlantic Ocean, where the navy of the
Duchy of Brittany eventually constituted the nucleus of the royal Flotte du Ponant, which projected French naval power across the Atlantic and the Americas.
Names and symbols
The first true French Royal Navy (
French: la Marine Royale) was established in 1624 by
Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister to
King Louis XIII. During the
French Revolution, la Marine Royale was formally renamed la Marine Nationale. Under the
First French Empire and the
Second French Empire, the navy was designated as the
Imperial French Navy (la Marine impériale française). Institutionally, however, the navy has never lost its short familiar nickname, la Royale.
The original symbol of the French Navy was a golden
anchor, which, beginning in 1830, was interlaced by a
sailing rope; this symbol was featured on all naval vessels, arms, and uniforms.[11] Although anchor symbols are still used on uniforms, a new naval logo was introduced in 1990 under
Naval Chief of Staff Bernard Louzeau, featuring a modern design that incorporates the
tricolour—by flanking the bow section of a white warship with two ascending red and blue spray foams—and the inscription "Marine nationale".
Cardinal Richelieu personally supervised the Navy until his death in 1643.[12] He was succeeded by his protégé,
Jean Baptiste Colbert, who introduced the first code of regulations of the French Navy and established the original naval dockyards in
Brest and
Toulon.[12] Colbert and his son, the
Marquis de Seignelay, between them administered the Navy for twenty-nine years.[12]
When
Napoleon was crowned Emperor in 1804, he attempted to restore the Navy to a position that would enable his plan for an invasion of England.[12] His dreams were dashed by the
Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where the British all but annihilated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet, a disaster that guaranteed British naval superiority throughout the
Napoleonic Wars. Still, the Navy did not shrink from action: among the engagements of this time were the
Battle of the Basque Roads, the
Battle of Grand Port, the
Mauritius campaign of 1809–11, and the
Battle of Lissa.
After Napoleon's fall in 1815, the long era of Anglo-French rivalry on the seas began to close, and the Navy became more of an instrument for expanding the
French colonial empire.[12] Under King
Charles X, the two nations' fleets fought side by side in the
Battle of Navarino, and throughout the rest of the century they generally behaved in a manner that paved the way for the
Entente Cordiale.[12]
The Emperor
Napoleon III was determined to follow an even stronger foreign policy than his predecessors, and the Navy was involved in a multitude of actions around the world. He joined in the
Crimean War in 1854; major actions for the Navy include the
siege of Petropavlovsk and the
Battle of Kinburn. The Navy was heavily involved in the
Cochinchina Campaign in 1858, the
Second Opium War in China, and the
French intervention in Mexico. It took part in the
French campaign against Korea, and fought Japan in the
bombardment of Shimonoseki. In the
Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the Navy imposed an effective blockade of Germany, but events on land proceeded at such a rapid pace that it was superfluous. Isolated engagements between French and German ships took place in other theaters, but the war was over in a matter of weeks.[13][14]
The 19th century French Navy brought forth numerous new technologies. It led the development of
naval artillery with its invention of the highly effective
Paixhans gun. In 1850,
Napoléon became the first steam-powered
ship of the line in history, and
Gloire became the first seagoing
ironclad warship nine years later. In 1863, the Navy launched
Plongeur, the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanical power. In 1876,
Redoutable became the first steel-hulled warship ever. In 1887,
Dupuy de Lôme became the world's first
armoured cruiser.
During the latter part of the century, French officers developed the so-called Jeune École (Young School) theory that emphasized the use of small, cheap
torpedo boats to destroy expensive battleships, coupled with long-range commerce raiders to attack an opponent's merchant fleet.
20th century
The first
seaplane, the French
Fabre Hydravion, was flown in 1910, and the first
seaplane carrier,
Foudre, was christened in the following year.[15] Despite that innovation, the general development of the French Navy slowed down in the beginning of the 20th century as the naval arms race between Germany and Great Britain grew in intensity.
It entered
World War I with relatively few modern vessels, and during the war few warships were built because the main French effort was on land. While the British held control of the North Sea, the French held the Mediterranean, where they mostly kept watch on the
Austro-Hungarian Navy.[12] The largest operations of the Navy were conducted during the
Dardanelles Campaign.[12] In December 1916, during the
Noemvriana events, French warships also bombarded Athens, trying to force the pro-German government of Greece to change its policies.[16] The French Navy also played an important role in countering Germany's
U-boat campaign by regularly patrolling the seas and escorting convoys.[12]
Between the World Wars, the Navy modernized and expanded significantly, even in the face of limitations set by the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty.[12] New additions included the heavy and fast
Fantasque class "super-
destroyers", the
Richelieu-class battleships, and the submarine
Surcouf which was the largest and most powerful of its day.
From the start of
World War II, the Navy was involved in a number of operations, participating in the
Battle of the Atlantic, the
Norwegian Campaign, the
Dunkirk evacuation and, briefly, the
Battle of the Mediterranean. However, after the
fall of France in June 1940, the Navy was obligated to remain neutral under the terms of the armistice that created the truncated state of
Vichy France. Worldwide, some 100 naval vessels and their crews heeded General
Charles de Gaulle's call to join forces with the British, but the bulk of the fleet, including all its capital ships, transferred loyalty to Vichy French Navy (Marine de Vichy). Concerned that the
German Navy might somehow gain control of the ships, the British mounted an
attack on Mers-el-Kébir, the Algerian city where many of them were harbored. The incident poisoned Anglo-French relations, leading to Vichy reprisals and a full-scale
naval battle at Casablanca in 1942 when the Allies invaded
French North Africa. But the confrontations were set aside once the Germans
occupied Vichy France. The capital ships were a primary goal of the occupation, but before they could be seized they were
scuttled by their own crews. A few small ships and submarines managed to escape in time, and these joined de Gaulle's
Free French Naval Forces, an arm of
Free France that fought as an adjunct of the
Royal Navy until the end of the war. In the
Pacific theatre as well, Free French vessels operated until the Japanese capitulation;
Richelieu was present at the
Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
The chief of the naval staff is Vice-admiral d’escadre
Arnaud de Tarlé,[17] and as of 2014 the Navy has an active strength of 36,776 military personnel and 2,909 civilian staff.[18] The Navy is organised into four main operational branches:
During most of the Cold War, the Navy was organised in two squadrons based in Brest and Toulon, commanded by ALESCLANT (Amiral commandant l'escadre de l'Atlantique) and ALESCMED (Amiral commandant l'escadre de la Méditerranée) respectively. Since the post-Cold War restructuring process named Optimar '95, the two components have been divided into the Naval Action Force (commanded by ALFAN) and the Antisubmarine Group (commanded by ALGASM).[19]
In addition the French Navy operates six light surveillance frigates and, as of 2020, six
avisos (originally light corvettes now reclassified as patrol vessels). They undertake the navy's offshore patrol duties, the protection of French naval bases and
territorial waters, and can also provide low-end escort capabilities to any oceangoing task force. The Navy also operates a fleet of offshore and coastal patrol vessels, mine countermeasures vessels as well as auxiliaries and support ships.
The French Naval Aviation is officially known as the Aéronautique navale and was created on the 19 June 1998 with the merging of Naval patrol aircraft and aircraft carrier squadrons. It has a strength of around 6,800 civilian and military personnel operating from four airbases in Metropolitan France. The Aéronavale has been modernized with 40
Rafale fighters which operate from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Staff officers have to be 21 to 29 years old, with an honors degree or master's degree in a field corresponding to the military occupational specialty.
Career officers
Less than 22 years old, having passed a classe préparatoire in science. After four years at the
École Navale (naval academy) a cadet will graduate as a commissioned
Enseigne de Vaisseau with an engineering degree.
Less than 25 years old, having an honors degree in science. After three years at the naval academy a cadet will graduate as Enseigne de Vaisseau with an engineering degree.
Less than 27 years old, having a master's degree. After two years at the naval academy a cadet will graduate as an Enseigne de Vaisseau.
The
rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels. Until 2005, only
commissioned officers had an anchor on their insignia, but
enlisted personnel are now receiving them as well. Commanding officers have titles of capitaine, but are called commandant (in the army, both capitaine and commandant are ranks, which tends to stir some confusion among the public). The two highest ranks, vice-amiral d'escadre and amiral (
admiral), are functions, rather than ranks. They are assumed by officers ranking vice-amiral (
vice admiral). The only amiral de la flotte (
Admiral of the Fleet) was
François Darlan after he was refused the dignity of amiral de France (
Admiral of France). Equivalent to the dignity of
Marshal of France, the rank of amiral de France remains theoretical in the
Fifth Republic; it was last granted in 1869, during the
Second Empire, but retained during the
Third Republic until the death of its bearer in 1873. The title of amiral de la flotte was created so that Darlan would not have an inferior rank than his counterpart in the British
Royal Navy, who had the rank of
Admiral of the Fleet.
Unlike in the
French Army and
air and space force, one does not prepend mon to the name of the rank when addressing an officer (that is, not mon capitaine, but simply capitaine).[22]
The main military musical unit of the French Navy is the Military Band of the
Toulon Fleet (
French: La musique des équipages de la flotte de Toulon), founded on 13 July 1827.[23] The
Bagad Lann Bihoue, based on the
bagad bands in
Bretagne, is currently the sole
pipe band in the service of the French Navy, which uses
bagpipes and
bombards, and thus is affiliated to the band.
France's
financial problems have affected all branches of her military. The
2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security cancelled the long-planned
new aircraft carrier and a possible fourth
Mistral-class amphibious assault ship.[25] The backbone of the fleet will be the Aquitaine-class
FREMM anti-submarine frigates, replacing the
Georges Leygues class, but plans to buy a possible seventeen FREMMs were cut back to eleven and then to eight. The cancellation of the third and fourth Horizon destroyers meant that the last two FREMM hulls, entering service in 2021/22, are fitted out as FREDA air-defence ships to replace the
Cassard class.[26] DCNS has shown a FREMM-ER concept to meet this requirement, emphasising
ballistic missile defence with the Thales Sea Fire 500 AESA radar.[27] Industrial considerations mean that the funds for FREMMs 9-11 will now be spent on five more exportable frégates de taille intermédiaire (FTI, "intermediate size frigates") from 2024 to supplement, and ultimately replace, the La Fayette class, three of which are being upgraded with new sonars to operate into the early 2030s.[28] With respect to support ships, the
Durance class will be replaced under the FLOTLOG project by up to four derivatives of Italy's
Vulcano-class logistic support ship, with three to be delivered in 2023–2027.[29] A fourth potential ship is delayed until after 2030.[30]
Construction has started on the first of six
Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarines; commissioning of Suffren took place in 2020. These nuclear attack submarines are to be followed in the 2030s by the incremental introduction of a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) whose construction is to begin in around 2023.
The first MM40
Exocet Block 3 missile was test-fired in 2010 to be produced. Naval versions of the
SCALP EG land-attack cruise missile are under development, along with a planned
Aster Block 1NT with greater capabilities against ballistic missiles.
In October 2018, the French Ministry of Defence launched an 18-month study for €40 million for the eventual future replacement of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle beyond 2030. A decision to build the new carrier was taken by President
Emmanuel Macron in 2020[31] and once it enters service it is anticipated to remain in service until beyond 2080.[32][33] Construction of the new carrier is to begin in around 2025 with service entry anticipated in the latter 2030s.
^Bennett, James C (1 January 2007). The Anglosphere Challenge: Why the English-speaking Nations Will Lead the Way in the Twenty-first Century. United States: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 286.
ISBN978-0742533332. ...the United States and the United Kingdom have the world's two best world-spanning blue-water navies... with the French being the only other candidate... and China being the most likely competitor in the long term
^L'Ordonnance royale de 1772 prévoit le port de l'ancre d'or sur les tenues des régiments des ports constituant le corps royal de la Marine, implantés à Toulon, Brest, Rochefort, Saint-Malo, Bordeaux, Le Havre, Bayonne et Cherbourg.
Auphan, Paul, & Jacques Mordal. The French Navy in World War II (Naval Institute Press, 2016).
Dull, Jonathan R. The French Navy and American Independence (Princeton University Press, 2015).
Jenkins, E H (1973). A History of the French Navy from its Beginnings to the Present Day. London: Macdonald and Jane's.
ISBN0356-04196-4.
Randier, Jean (2006). La Royale: L'histoire illustrée de la Marine nationale française. Babouji-MDV Maîtres du Vent.
ISBN978-2-35261-022-9.
Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S., French Warships in the Age of Sail, 1626-1786: Design, Constructions, Careers and Fates (Seaforth Publishing, 2017)
ISBN978-1-4738-9351-1; French Warships in the Age of Sail, 1786-1861: Design, Constructions, Careers and Fates (Seaforth Publishing, 2015)
ISBN978-1-84832-204-2.
External links
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