French Mediterranean Fleet
Encyclopedia
CECMED is a French Armed Forces regional commander. He commands the zone, the region and the Mediterranean maritime arrondissements. He is usually an admiral of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

, and is under the direct authority of the French Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (France)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the chief of staff of the Military of France. The position is currently held by Admiral Édouard Guillaud.- Functions :The Chief of the Defence Staff has two roles:...

. The current position is held by Admiral Yann Tainguy
Yann Tainguy
Yann Tainguy is a French admiral, currently commanding officer for the Mediterranean maritime defence zone and Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean.- Sources and references :* , Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée...

.
The admiral known as 'CECMED' » today has three distinct functions. He is at once:
  • Commander of the région and the Mediterranean maritime arrondissement,
  • Maritime Zone commander,
  • Maritime Prefect for the Méditerranean.


Today the main French naval combat force in the Mediterranean is the Force d'action navale
Force d'Action Navale
The Force d'action navale is the 12,000-man and about 100-ship strong backbone of the French Navy. As of 2006, it is commanded by Vice-Amiral d’Escadre Philippe Sautter.The ships are divided into seven categories:...

 (FAN), headquartered at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

. The Admiral commanding the Naval Action Force (ALFAN) is responsible to the Chief of Staff of the French Navy
Chief of Staff of the French Navy
thumb|Admiral Pierre-François Forissier, CEMMThe Chief of the Staff of the French Navy is the head of the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of Defence for its preparation and deployment.As a naval expert, he assists:...

 at the rue Royale in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.

Vice-amiral François FOURNIER was Commandant en chef l'Escadre de Méditerranée in January 1899 aboard Galilee.

The twentieth century history of the French Navy in the Mediterranean includes surveillance of actions during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

, the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir which destroyed most of the French fleet in 1940, and the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces during Operation Lila of the Case Anton takeover of Vichy France.- Context :...

. The Navy also protected troop convoys from French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...

 to France in both the First and Second World Wars and played a peripheral role in the Algerian War from 1954 to 1962. In 1956 the French Navy also took part alongside the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in the attack on Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 during the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...

. In 1964, the cruiser Colbert became flagship of the Mediterranean squadron.

During the ancien regime, the French navy's force in the Mediterranean was the Flotte du Levant.

Levant Fleet

In Ancien Régime France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 the Levant Fleet was the part of the royal French navy based at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

, entrusted with Mediterranean operations. Its counterpart was the Ponant fleet
Ponant fleet
The Ponant fleet was the overall term for the naval forces of the royal French navy under the Ancien Régime designated to communicating with the New World in general and protecting the maritime routes between there and France...

, based at Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...

 or Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

. It was the forerunner of today's Mediterranean Fleet.

This fleet appeared in the portfolios of the secretaries of state in 1626, the same year as Richelieu was named "grand maître de la navigation". The two fleets were united in 1642, then split up again in 1661. The two fleets were put under the control of Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...

 from 1662, whilst he was "intendant des finances
Intendant des finances
The Intendants des finances were intendants or agents of France's financial administration under the Ancien Régime.-History:The role of intendant des finances was created in 1552 as a 'commission' or committee, to manage the subsidies raised for the 'trip to Germany', though these commissaires were...

" and "minister of state" but not "secretary of state" : he only became secretary of state in 1669 after having bought his way into the post. From then on, right up to the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, a secretary of state had responsibility for the whole fleet.
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