French Navy

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. It consists of a full range of vessels, from patrol boats to guided missile frigates, one nuclear aircraft carrier and four strategic missile submarines (SNLEs).

The current Navy aircraft carrier is the Charles De Gaulle (Normally, the French Navy operates two carriers, but only one of the latest generation has been built as of yet).

The Navy is organised in five branches:

The "Force d'Action Navale" ("Naval Action Force"), surface fleet
The "Forces Sous-marines" ("Submarine forces"), strategic nuclear deterrent fleet
The "Aviation Navale" ("Naval air force"), ground and sea-based planes and helicopters
The "Fusiliers de Marine" ("Naval fusiliers", ground forces used to secure naval installations) and "Commandos de Marine" (amphibious assault and other special operations), collectively known as FORFUSCO.
The "Gendarmerie Navale", police operations and coast guard

Note that the Troupes de Marine ("Naval Troops"), organised in Régiments d'Infanterie de Marine (the famous elite RIMa) are the modern name of the Troupes Coloniales ("Colonial Troops"), and are not part of the Navy, but of the Army.

Ranks of the National Navy

The following are the ranks of the French National Navy. Firstly, the proper French term is used, with an English translation that follows the Royal Navy/Canadian Navy ranking systems.

Officers

Amiral = Admiral
Vice-amiral d'escadre = Vice Admiral
Vice-amiral = Rear Admiral
Contre-amiral = Commodore
Capitaine de vaisseau = Captain
Capitaine de frégate = Commander
Capitaine de corvette = Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant de vaisseau = Lieutenant
Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe = Sub Lieutenant
Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe = Acting Sub Lieutenant
Aspirant = Midshipman

Majors

Major = Warrant Officer

Officiers mariniers / Non-commissioned Officers

Maître principal = Chief Petty Officer First Class
Premier maître = Chief Petty Officer Second Class
Maître = Petty Officer First Class
Second-maître = Petty Officer Second Class

Militaires du rang (équipage)- Non-Commissioned Members

Quartier-maître de première classe = Leading Seaman
Quartier-maître de deuxième classe = Able Seaman
Matelot breveté = Ordinary Seaman

History

The French navy is affectionately known as La Royale ("the Royal"), for its traditional attachment to the French monarchy, but the navy did not sport the royal titles common with other European navies like the British Royal Navy.

For more on the navy's history go to History of the French Navy.

French Naval Officers

Some of the greatest heroes of the First Republic were in the French Navy including:

A list of other important French naval officers:

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve - commander of the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse
Vice-Admiral Edouard Jacques Burgues de Missiessy
Admiral Charles Baudin

Technological innovations (19th century)

During the 19th century the French Navy, eager to challenge British naval supremacy, took a leadership role in many areas of warship development, with the introduction of new technologies:

France led the development of shell guns for the Navy, with its invention by Henri-Joseph Paixhans
In 1850, Le Napoléon became the first steam-powered battleship in history.
La Gloire became the first seagoing ironclad in history when she was launched in 1853.
In 1863, the French Navy launched Plongeur, the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanical power.
In 1876, the Redoutable became the first steel-hulled warship ever.

The French Navy also became an active proponent of the "Jeune Ecole" doctrine, calling for small but powerful warship using shell guns to annihilate the British fleet.

Her conceptual and technological edge proved attractive to the newly industrializing Japan, when the French engineer Emile Bertin was invited for four years to design a new fleet for the Imperial Japanese Navy, which led to her success in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894.

The motto of the French Navy is "Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline" ("Honour, Homeland, Valour, Discipline"). These word are found on the deck of every ship of the Navy.

World War II

At the outset of the war, the French Navy participated in a number of operations against the Axis Powers, patrolling the Atlantic and bombarding Genoa. The French surrender and its armistice terms, however, completely changed the situation: the French fleet immediately withdrew from the fight.

The British perceived the French fleet as a potentially lethal threat, should the French become formal enemies or, more likely, should the German Kriegsmarine gain control. It was essential that they should be put out of action. Some vessels were in British-controlled ports in Britain or Egypt and these were either persuaded to re-join the Allies as Free French ships or were boarded and disarmed.

The bulk of the fleet, however, was in Dakar or Mers-el-Kebir. The Royal Navy delivered an ultimatum but, when agreement proved impossible, they opened fire and sunk or damaged much of the French fleet (Operation Catapult} on 3 July 1940. The action soured Anglo-French relations and inhibited further defections to the Allies.

In November, 1942, the Allies invaded French North Africa. In response, the Germans occupied (Case Anton) Vichy France, including the French naval port of Toulon, where the main part of the surviving French fleet lay. This was a major German objective and forces under SS command had been detailed to capture them (Operation Lila). French naval authorities were divided on their response: Amiral Jean de Laborde, the commander of the Forces de Haute Mer (the High Seas Fleet) advocated sailing to attack the Allied invasion fleet while others, such as the Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Contre-Amiral Auphan favoured joining the Allies. On several warships, there were spontaneous demonstrations in favour of sailing with the Allies, chanting "Vive de Gaulle! Appareillage!".

The orders to French commanders to scuttle their ships in case of an attempted take-over had been reinforced, however, and, often despite the presence of German troops, this was done. No capital ships and few others were taken in reparable condition. ^*

Following this, more French moved to the Allies, including ships interned in Egypt, and there were French warships supporting the landings in southern France (Operation Dragoon) and Normandy (Operation Neptune).

French Navy Today

The French Navy is undertaking a significant reinforcement, both in modernising and in number, under the Projet de loi de programmation militaire 2003-2008 ("Military programme law project 2003-2008")^* , which notably calls for:

A second aircraft carrier to be delivered before 2015, the start of a scheduled repair and maintenance period for the nuclear powered Charles De Gaulle. The new carrier will be built in cooperation with a British program for two 65,000 ton conventionally-powered aircraft carriers, with alterations to best fit French needs and better benefit from French construction capabilities.
2 Horizon units that are now under construction;
17 FREMM multipurpose frigates - 8 should be ordered between 2003 and 2008, the first commissioning being expected for 2008.
6 nuclear attack submarines of the Barracuda class - the first commissioning being expected for 2017

The equipment will also be modernised, notably

New models of the successful Exocet missile
MBDA Aster and SYLVER launcher systems for anti-missile/anti-air defence
Cruise missiles (the naval or submarine SCALP EG)

For details on the current fleet go to Current French Navy ships

Customs

Prefixes

The French Navy does not use prefixes (like the Royal Navy for instance). Foreign commentators sometimes use the prefixes "FS" (for "French Ship") or FNS (for "French Navy Ship"); these are however not official.

Gallery

Image:Motte-Picquet-Navigation.jpg|Navy officers on the bridges of the frigate La Motte-Picquet Image:Floreal-Bora-Bora.jpg|The French frigate Floréal, stationed in Bora-Bora lagoon