Discover the “La Fayette”, the “Foch”, the “Clémenceau”, the “Charles de Gaulle”, and more in a publication that recounts more than a century of maritime innovation in the service of the French Air Force!
In France, the history of aircraft carriers began tentatively, just before the First World War. It was then that seaplane carriers were commissioned. We had to wait until 1928 and the launch of the “Béarn” to see France acquire its first ever aircraft carrier. Sadly, the ship did not have the opportunity to serve when the Second World War broke out.
Once the war was over, the French Navy acquired two ships from the Royal Navy that it adapted for its needs: a helicopter carrier, “Le Dixmude”, and an aircraft carrier, “Arromanches”. These were followed by the “La Fayette” and the “Bois Belleau”, both borrowed from the US Navy. In the early 1960s, two French-manufactured twin aircraft carriers were launched; the “Foch” and the “Clémenceau”.
The end of the 1990s saw the launch of what has since been established as the jewel of the French Navy, the “Charles de Gaulle”, which should remain in service until 2040 and on which the Rafale embarks. With history, descriptions, compared characteristics, works, and more, this is a real encyclopedia that recounts this entire saga in 336 pages, 640 photos and some 90 diagrams!
Book. “Tous les porte-aéronefs en France, de 1912 à nos jours.” Jean Moulin. Editions Lela Presse. Ships & World History Collection No. 35. ISBN: 978-2-37468-035-4.
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