France Puts Into Service First New Aircraft Carrier in Decades
2001-05-18 16:59 (New York)Washington, May 18 (Bloomberg) -- France put into service the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its first such new ship in four decades, in a bid to project its military power around the world, the country's navy said. The 858-foot vessel can carry 1,950 sailors and as many as 40 aircraft, including the Super-Etendard fighter, according to the French Navy. Nuclear propulsion allows the vessel to carry out longer missions. ``We are not going to crow about it, but we are proud to give France the ability to intervene when needed anywhere in the world,'' French naval spokesman Lieutenant Commander Jerome Erulin told the Associated Press.
France sold its carrier Foch to Brazil last year and in 1997 decommissioned the carrier Clemenceau, both of which dated to the early 1960s. Its newest carrier is named after the World War II general and political leader who became the country's president. The De Gaulle was expected to enter the fleet two years ago until technical problems during sea trials forced naval commanders to delay its debut. Among the problems discovered in the vessel, which cost more than $2 billion, was a flawed propeller that had to be replaced.
``France has a tradition of being a global power, and that's how it sees itself,'' said Francois Boo, an analyst at Globalsecurity.org, a military research group based in suburban Washington. ``One of the ways to maintain this is to have a strong navy.''
Sibling Carrier
France is considering building a sibling carrier to substitute for the De Gaulle when it is in port for routine maintenance, Boo said. The De Gaulle will allow France to move its warplanes to areas of global tension and keeps the country in the limited club of navies that put carriers to sea, including the U.S., Britain and Russia. The U.S. fleet includes 12 carriers, the oldest of which is the USS Kitty Hawk, commissioned in 1961. The Ronald Reagan, now under construction, will become the 13th.
--Edward DeMarco in Washington and Todd Zeranski in Princeton (202) 624-1935 or edemarco1@Bloomberg.net /mm
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