Although the
History of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, when it was defeated by the English at the
Battle of SluysThe decisive naval Battle of Sluys was fought on 24 June 1340 as one of the opening conflicts of the Hundred Years' War...
and, with
CastilianThe Crown of Castile, as a historic entity, is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and almost definitive union of the monarchies of kingdoms Castile and Toledo in one hand, and the kingdoms of Leon and Galicia in other hand, and with the union of their parliaments a few decades...
help, managed to beat the English at
La RochelleThe naval Battle of La Rochelle took place on 22 June 1372 between a Castilian-French and an English fleet. The Castilians had 22 galerian ships while the English had 50 atlantic vessels...
, its history can be said to effectively begin with
RichelieuArmand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu , was a French clergyman, noble, and statesman....
under
Louis XIIILouis XIII reigned as King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643.-Early life, 1601—1610:Born at the Château de Fontainebleau, Louis XIII was the eldest child of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici . As son of the king, he was a Fils de France, and as the eldest son, the Dauphin...
.
Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on the naval level: two sea sides, which force to keep two naval forces and divide resources between the Mediterranean and the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
; Political and strategic interests on the East border and the continent, which creates a tendency to emphasise land forces; A tendency to neglectful administrations, unable to withstand the sustained efforts necessary to keep an effective navy. This created a series of brilliant eras followed by disasters.
The History of the French Navy can be divided into the following eras:
- The creation of the first actual State Navy, under Louis XIII
Louis XIII reigned as King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643.-Early life, 1601—1610:Born at the Château de Fontainebleau, Louis XIII was the eldest child of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici . As son of the king, he was a Fils de France, and as the eldest son, the Dauphin...
, thanks to the politics of RichelieuArmand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu , was a French clergyman, noble, and statesman....
. This navy was largely ruined by the troubles of the FrondeThe Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The word fronde means sling, which Parisians mobs used to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin....
.
- A rebuilt and brilliant era under Louis XIV
Louis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
, largely thanks to Jean-Baptiste ColbertJean-Baptiste Colbert served as the French minister of finance from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. He was described by Mme de Sévigné as "Le Nord", because he was cold and unemotional. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister...
. The effort was not pursued under the RégenceThe Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
of Philippe d'OrléansPhilippe Charles d'Orléans, petit-fils de France, Duke of Orléans , was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
and the beginning of the reign of Louis XVLouis XV ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May 1774...
; consequently, the Seven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War lasted between 1754 and 1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Prussia and Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Austria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony...
and the French and Indian WarThe French and Indian War, also known as the War of the Conquest or referred as part of the larger conflict known as the Seven Years' War, was a war fought in North America between 1754 and 1763...
ended in disaster.
- A period of rebirth under the impulsion of Choiseul
Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul was a French military officer, diplomat and statesman. Between 1758 and 1761 and 1766 and 1770 he was Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period...
, which culminated under Louis XVILouis XVI of France ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792. Suspended and arrested during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792, he was tried by the National Convention, found guilty of treason, and executed by guillotine on 21...
with de Grasse's victory over the English during the American Revolutionary WarFrance entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778, and assisted in the victory of the Americans seeking independence from Britain ....
. In the same period, explorers like BougainvilleLouis-Antoine, comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer.- Early career :Bougainville was born in Paris, the son of a notary, on either 11 or 12 November 1729. In early life, he studied law, but soon abandoned the profession, and in 1753 entered the army in the corps of musketeers...
expanded French geography, naval maps, and founded outposts. The downfall occurred during the French RevolutionThe French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based...
and the First EmpireThe French Empire
, also known as the Greater French Empire or First French Empire, but more commonly known as the Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I in France...
, leaving the English with a century of undisputed domination of the seas.
- Under Napoléon III, a modern Navy was built, taking advantage of new technologies like steam and ship armour, which made elder fleets effectively obsolete. These force was an important instrument in the constitution and keeping of the French Empire. The fleet maintained a high standard, and between the two world wars (1925-1939), a significant effort was made counter the threat of the German and Italian navies. With the Fall of France, however, most of the Navy never got a chance to fight, and what survived Mers-el-Kebir
The Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, part of Operation Catapult and also known as the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir, was an engagement off the coast of French Algeria on 3 July 1940. A British Royal Navy task force attacked and destroyed much of the French fleet, killing 1,297...
was eventually annihilated in the scuttling of the French fleet in ToulonThe 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.-Context:...
.
The French navy is affectionately known as
La Royale ("the Royal"). The reason is not well known: it might be for its traditional attachment to the French monarchy; because, before being named "nationale", the Navy had be named "royale" (the navy did not sport the royal titles common with other
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an navies like the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
); or simply because of the location of its headquarters, "rue Royale" in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Louis XIII and Richelieu
During the reign of
Henry IVHenry IV was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France. His parents were Queen Jeanne III and King Antoine of Navarre.As a Huguenot, Henry was involved in the Wars of Religion before...
, France was in an unstable state, and striving to guarantee her independence from Spanish and papal influences. This prompted both an emphasis on land forces, which drained resources, and an alliance with England, which would have unfavourably seen France challenging her naval supremacy.
When Richelieu became Minister of the Navy, he decided on a plan to rebuild a powerful navy, divided into two distinct forces.
The Mediterranean force was to be completely composed of galleys, to take advantage of the relatively calm sea. Initially, the plan called for 40 galleys, but was downsized to 24 of them, notably because of a lack of
galley slaveA galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. The expression has two distinct meanings: it can refer either to a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar , or to a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to his duty of rowing.- Convicts :Contrary to the popular image of the...
s — each galley was 400 or 500 slave strong.
The Oceanic force was to be composed of
men of warThe man-of-war was the most powerful type of armed ship from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The term often refers to a ship armed with cannon and propelled primarily by sails, as opposed to a galley which is propelled primarily by oars...
. The designs were moderately large ships, for a lack of harbours fit for very large units, but very heavily armed with large calibre guns; these ships displaced between 300 and 2000 tonnes and bore up to 50 24-pound
cannonA cannon is any tubular piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, firing 150mm-
round shotRound shot is an obsolete solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
s. The first ships were ordered from the Dutch, and French production started with the famous
CouronneLa Couronne was an emblematic ship of the French Navy built by Richelieu.La Couronne was a war Galleon built by the French themselves in accordance to Richelieu's plans to renew the French Navy, after a series of ships built by the Dutch...
, a prestige ship typical of this era.
In 1627, the Navy was not ready to challenge the English fleet
Siege of La RochelleThe Siege of La Rochelle was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627-1628...
, which led to the construction of a
seawallA seawall is a form of hard and strong coastal defense constructed on the inland part of a coast to reduce the effects of strong waves.In the UK, sea wall also refers to an earthen bank used to create a polder, or a dike...
to establish a
blockadeA blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, rather than a fortress or city. Also, a blockade historically took place at sea, with the blockading power seeking...
.
When later completed, the Navy built a French empire, conquering the "Nouvelle-Guyenne" (now
AcadiaAcadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia...
), "Nouvelle France" (now
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), Tortuga,
MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
,
GuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at , with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres . It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic...
,
The BahamasThe Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an English-speaking country consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 rocks. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, Hispaniola and the Caribbean Sea, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United...
and several other islands in the Carrabean, and
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
.
The
Thirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe...
saw several victories, notably the Battle of Cádiz (1640) won by Armand de Maillé-Brézé.
Louis XIV and Colbert
Under the tutelage of the "Sun King," the French Navy was well financed and equipped, managing to score several early victories in the Nine Years War against the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
and the
Dutch NavyThe Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands.-Bases:The main naval base is Den Helder, Noord Holland.Secondary naval bases are in Amsterdam, Vlissingen, Texel and Willemstad...
. Financial troubles, however, forced the navy back to port and allowed the English and the Dutch to regain the initiative.
Under the impulsion of
Jean-Baptiste ColbertJean-Baptiste Colbert served as the French minister of finance from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. He was described by Mme de Sévigné as "Le Nord", because he was cold and unemotional. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister...
's ambitious policy of ship building, the French navy began to gain a magnificence matching the symbolism of the Louis XIV era, as well as an actual military significance. The
Soleil-RoyalSoleil Royal was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Tourville.She was built in Brest between 1668 and 1670 by engineer Laurent Hubac, was launched in 1669, and stayed unused in Brest harbour for years...
is illustrative of the trend of the time. Colbert is credited with forging a good part of the naval tradition of France.
Before the Nine Years War, in the
Franco-Dutch WarThe Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by the Kingdom of France, the Swedish Empire, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and the Kingdom of England against the Dutch Republic, which was later joined by Holy Roman Emperor, Brandenburg and Spain...
, the French navy managed to score a decisive victory over a combined Spanish-Dutch fleet at the
Battle of PalermoThe naval Battle of Palermo took place on 2 June 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War, between a French force led by Abraham Duquesne and a Spanish force supported by a Dutch maritime expedition force. Largely because the Dutch and Spanish ships were at bay making repairs from earlier a battle, the...
(1676).
During the
War of the Grand AllianceThe Nine Years' War , also known as the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the League of Augsburg, formerly the War of the Palatine Succession or the War of the English Succession, and also the Williamite War and King William's War – was fought in the late 17th century primarily on mainland...
, Admiral
TourvilleAnne Hilarion de Costentin, comte de Tourville was a French naval commander who served under King Louis XIV.-Military career:At age 17, as a Knight of Malta, he fought his first naval battle on a frigate of the Order of Malta....
won a decisive victory in the
Battle of Beachy HeadThe Battle of Beachy Head was a naval engagement fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war...
(1690,
Bataille de Bévezier); the event is regarded as one of the most glorious deed of the French Navy, and Tourville earned a fame which lasts to present times (a number of ships were named
Bévezier or
TourvilleSeveral ships of the French Navy have been named in honour of Anne Hilarion de Tourville. Among them:* Tourville, a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line...
to commemorate the battle).
The
Battle of BarfleurThe related naval battles of Barfleur and La Hogue took place between 29 May and 4 June New Style , 1692 ....
saw a largely under-numbered French fleet attack and defeat the combined English and Dutch fleets, obtaining a noticeable tactical victory. However, the event ended in a strategic disaster, as some of the damaged French ships were forced to beach themselves at Cherbourg, where they were annihilated by English long boats and with fire ships. The loss effectively put French ambitions to challenge the English navy to a halt for decades.
Louis XV
Following the disasters of the
Seven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War lasted between 1754 and 1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Prussia and Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Austria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony...
, France was financially incapable of building up a fleet to challenge Britain's
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
. However, efforts were made, and by the time of
Louis XVLouis XV ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May 1774...
's death in 1774, the
Marine Royale was somewhat larger than it had been in 1763, and, crucially, had replaced numerous old vessels with more effective modern designs. Also worthy of note- in 1766,
BougainvilleLouis-Antoine, comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer.- Early career :Bougainville was born in Paris, the son of a notary, on either 11 or 12 November 1729. In early life, he studied law, but soon abandoned the profession, and in 1753 entered the army in the corps of musketeers...
led the first French circumnavigation of the world.
Louis XVI
King
Louis XVILouis XVI of France ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792. Suspended and arrested during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792, he was tried by the National Convention, found guilty of treason, and executed by guillotine on 21...
was keen on technical subjects and geography, and encouraged explorations. Vessels designed by French engineer
Jacques-Noël SanéJacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
started being constructed during the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
. He created what were to be, in effect, the ultimate designs of wind-powered fighting ship, with standard frigates of 18 guns, and standard ships of the line of 64, 74, 80 and 118 guns ; his
74-gunThe "Seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. Originally developed by the French Navy in the mid-18th century, the design proved to be a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities, and was adopted by the British Royal Navy , as well as...
ship of the line became the backbone of the French and English navies. The largest units, the 118-guns, were said to be "as manoeuverable as a frigate" (the
Océan type is a typical example).
During the American War of Independence the French Navy played a decisive role in supporting the American side. The French Navy was the only standing navy to fight the British, alongside the modest Continental and American state navies and American privateers. In a very impressive effort, the French under de Grasse managed to defeat an English fleet at the
Battle of the ChesapeakeThe Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on September 5, 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas...
in 1781, thus ensuring that the Franco-American ground forces would win the ongoing
Battle of YorktownThe Battle of Yorktown can refer to:*Siege of Yorktown , last major battle during the the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence...
.
In India,
SuffrenAdmiral comte Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren - French admiral; was the third son of the marquis de Saint Tropez, head of a family of nobles of Provence which claimed to have emigrated from Lucca in the 14th century...
managed impressive campaigns against the British (1770-1780), successfully contending for supremacy against Vice-Admiral Sir
Edward HughesSir Edward Hughes RN was an admiral of the British Royal Navy.Hughes joined the Royal Navy in 1735, and four years later, was present at the capture of Portobelo, Panama. In 1740, he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the Cartagena expedition of 1741, and at the indecisive Battle of Toulon...
.
In 1789, the French navy counted 71
ships of the lineA ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century, to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, 64
frigateA frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and manoeuvrability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, 45
corvetteA corvette is a small, manoeuvrable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or Fast Attack Craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role. During the Age of Sail, corvettes were smaller than frigates and larger than...
s and 32 smaller units; 12 ships of the line and 10 frigates were under construction and expected to be launched within the year. The crews counted 75 000 sailors, 5 000 gunners, 2 000 officers and
14 000
Fusiliers de MarineThe Fusiliers Marins are units specialised in the protection and defence of key sites of the French Navy on land. They consist of about 1,800 men.Their deployments include:...
. The ships were based mostly in
BrestBrest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France.Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, Brest is an important seaport and naval base. The 1999 census recorded 303,484 inhabitants of the Brest metropolitan area, while the...
,
ToulonToulon is a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base...
and
RochefortRochefort is a commune in south-western France, a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime département.-History:...
, as well as in
LorientLorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Lorient are called Lorientais.Population: city: 61,844; urban area: 186,144...
, le Havre de Grâce, Dunkerque, Bordeaux, Bayonne and Marseille.
French Revolution and the First Empire
The French Revolution, in eliminating numerous officers of noble lineage (among them,
Charles d'EstaingJean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral, in the American Revolutionary War, who was killed during the Reign of Terror.-Biography:...
), all but crippled the French Navy.
The
National ConventionDirectory|Directory]], commencing 2 November 1795. Prominent members of the original Convention included Maximilien Robespierre of the Jacobin Club, Jean-Paul Marat , and Georges Danton of the Cordeliers...
dissolved the Fleet Gunners Corps, which effectively put a halt to the training in gunnery, abysmally degrading the rate of fire and precision of batteries; in addition, the French doctrine was to fire at the rigging of enemy ships as to render them hapless; this doctrine could prove effective with highly trained crews, but was impractical with poorly trained gunners, and resulted in a number of instances where French ships did not manage to score a single hit on dangerously exposed English ships (as happened with the fight of the
Ça IraFive ships of the French Navy have borne the name Ça Ira in honour of the revolutionary anthem Ah! ça ira:* Couronne , a 74-gun ship of the line, was renamed Ça Ira in 1792...
, or at the beginning of the
Battle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars . The battle was the most decisive British naval victory of the war...
). By contrast, the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
doctrine was to fire at the ship's hull in order to kill and maim the crew, and gradually degrade the firepower of their opponents — also much easier target for much better trained gunners.
Efforts to make it into a powerful force under Napoleon were dashed by the death of
Latouche TrévilleLouis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville was a French admiral and a hero of the American Revolutionary War and of the Napoleonic wars.-Early life:...
in 1804, and the
Battle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars . The battle was the most decisive British naval victory of the war...
in 1805, where the British all but annihilated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet. The disaster guaranteed British naval domination until the steam era.
From then on, the French navy was limited to frigate actions and privateers like
Robert SurcoufRobert Surcouf was a famous French corsair. During his legendary career, he captured 47 ships and was renowned for his gallantry and chivalry, earning the nickname of Roi des Corsaires .- Youth :...
. This started the French tendency to prefer large numbers of smaller but powerful and swift units, rather than large capital ships.
The only French Naval victory against the British during the Napoleonic Wars was the 1810
Battle of Grand PortThe Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy. The battle was fought during 20–27 August 1810 over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France during the Napoleonic Wars...
, a frigate action in the
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
won by Admiral
DuperréGuy-Victor Duperré was a French admiral, Pair de France and thrice Naval Minister....
.
Restoration and Second Empire
In the nineteenth century, the navy recovered to become the second finest in the world after the Royal Navy.
During this period, explorer and naval officer
Dumont d'UrvilleRear Admiral Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville was a French explorer and naval officer, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica....
contributed to geography in Southern and Western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, and brought back previously unknown plants and animal species.
The French Navy also conducted a successful blockade of Mexico in the
Pastry WarThe Pastry War was an invasion of Mexico by French forces in 1838.-Background:...
of 1838 and obliterated the Chinese navy at the
Battle of FoochowThe Battle of Fuzhou, or Battle of Foochow, also known as the Battle of the Pagoda Anchorage , was the opening engagement of the nine-month Sino-French War...
in 1884. It also served as an effective link between the growing parts of the French empire. Ever eager to challenge British naval supremacy, the French Navy took a leadership role in many areas of warship development, pioneering the introduction of several new technologies: steam propulsion, adoption of the screw propeller, adoption of armour plate protection, steel construction, and protected gun mounts.
- France led in the development of shell guns for the Navy, invented by Henri-Joseph Paixhans
Henri-Joseph Paixhans was a French artillery officer of the beginning of the 19th century.Henri-Joseph Paixhans graduated from the École Polytechnique...
- In 1850, Le Napoléon
The Napoléon was a 90-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, and the very first purpose-built steam battleship in the world . She is also considered the first true steam battleship, and the first screw battleship ever . Launched in 1850, she was the lead ship of a class of 9 battleships, all...
became the first purpose-built 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
Plongeur was a French submarine launched on 16 April 1863. She was the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanical power....
, the world's first mechanically propelled submarine.
- In 1876, the Redoutable
Redoutable was a central battery and barbette ship of the French Navy. She was the first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material ....
became the first steel-hulled warship ever.
Global interventions
In a speech in 1852, Napoleon III famously proclaimed that "The Empire means peace" ("
L'Empire, c'est la paix"), but actually he was thoroughly determined to follow a strong foreign policy to extend France's power and glory. The French Navy was involved in a multitude of actions around the world.
The Crimean War
Napoleon's challenge to
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's claims to influence in the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
led to France's successful participation in the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
(March 1854–March 1856). During this war Napoleon successfully established a French alliance with
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
, which continued after the war's close.
East Asia
Napoleon took the first steps to establishing a French colonial influence in Indochina. He approved the launching of a naval expedition in 1858 to punish the
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
ese for their mistreatment of French Catholic missionaries and force the court to accept a French presence in the country. An important factor in his decision was the belief that France risked becoming a second-rate power by not expanding its influence in East Asia. Also, the idea that France had a civilising mission was spreading. This eventually led to a full-out invasion in 1861. By 1862 the war was over and Vietnam conceded three provinces in the south, called by the French
Cochin-ChinaCochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1948. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
, opened three ports to French trade, allowed free passage of French warships to Cambodia (which led to a French protectorate over Cambodia in 1867), allowed freedom of action for French missionaries and gave France a large indemnity for the cost of the war.
In China, France took part in the
Second Opium WarThe Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856–1860.- Names :"Second Opium War" and "Arrow War" are both used...
along with
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
, and in 1860 French troops entered
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
. China was forced to concede more trading rights, allow freedom of navigation of the Yangzi river, give full civil rights and freedom of religion to Christians, and give France and Britain a huge indemnity. This combined with the intervention in Vietnam set the stage for further French influence in China leading up to a sphere of influence over parts of Southern China.
In 1866, French Navy troops made an attempt to colonize
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
, during the
French Campaign against KoreaThe French campaign against Korea of 1866 is also known as Byeong-in yangyo . It refers to the French invasion of Ganghwa Island in Korea in retaliation for the earlier execution by Korea of French priests proselytizing illicitly in that country...
. The French Navy also had a mild presence in Japan in 1867-1868, around the actions of
French Military Mission to JapanThe 1867-1868 French Military Mission to Japan was the first Western military mission to Japan. The mission was formed by Napoléon III, following a request of the Japanese Shogunate in the person of its emissary to Europe, Shibata Takenaka ....
, and the subsequent
Boshin warThe was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
.
Mexico
The French Navy was heavily involved in
French intervention in MexicoThe French intervention in Mexico, also known as the Maximilian Affair and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by the army of the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the British and Spanish...
(January 1862–March 1867). Napoleon, using as a pretext the Mexican Republic's refusal to pay its foreign debts, planned to establish a French sphere of influence in North America by creating a French-backed monarchy in Mexico, a project which was supported by Mexican conservatives tired of the anti-clerical Mexican republic.
Pre-dreadnought battleships
In the 1880s, the "
Jeune ÉcoleThe Jeune École was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, powerfully equipped units to combat a larger battleship fleet, and commerce raiders capable of ending the trade of the rival nation...
" doctrine had a more powerful influence within the French Navy than elsewhere. Derived from the traditions of privateer warfare, the
Jeune ÉcoleThe Jeune École was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, powerfully equipped units to combat a larger battleship fleet, and commerce raiders capable of ending the trade of the rival nation...
emphasised small, maneuverable craft such as torpedo boats and cruisers carrying shell guns, and prematurely deemed the battleship obsolete. However, in the early 1890s the pre-dreadnought battleship revived with surprising vigour and new protections against torpedoes and mines.
French capital ships of this time were instantly identifiable by their small size (10,000 tons), huge spur rams, great height and pronounced tumble-home (turning inwards of the hull's sides as they climb upwards). Often carrying only half the main armament of their British contemporaries, French battleships had armoured masts with electric elevators inside, outsized funnels, and elaborate davit systems to swing out boats from the narrow upper decks.
France built a considerable fleet of these vessels, though seldom with such uniform class characteristics as seen in Britain and Germany. The
BouvetThe Bouvet was a French pre-Dreadnought battleship, launched in 1896 and sunk by mine in 1915 during World War I.Bouvet, named for the maritime family of Bouvet de Lozier, the most famous being French admiral François Joseph Bouvet, belonged to the Jauréguiberry quasi-class which comprised Bouvet,...
,
Masséna, and
JauréguiberryJauréguiberry was a pre-Dreadnought battleship of the French Navy, launched in 1893. She was named after admiral Bernard Jauréguiberry.-Design and history:...
were built as "sample battleships", as the design for a true class of battleships was fiddled with. It eventually materialised with the 3-ship
Charlemagne classThe Charlemagne class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the French Navy.-Design and history:The Charlemagne type introduced the arrangement of two large guns forwards and two at the aft, in twin mounts, as the British had done for 10 years, breaking with the French trademark of mounting...
, which introduced armament nearly on a par with its British contemporaries.
France's conceptual and technological edge proved attractive to the newly industrialising
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, when the French engineer Émile Bertin was invited for four years to design a new fleet for the
Imperial Japanese NavyThe Imperial Japanese Navy , literally Navy of the Empire of Greater Japan was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, which led to her success in the
First Sino-Japanese WarThe First Sino-Japanese War was a war fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over the control of Korea...
in 1894. French yards busily turned out warships for foreign customers, especially Imperial Russia, which copied French stylings in designing many of its cruisers and battleships. Despite her leads in some areas of technology (boilers, metallurgy), France did not have the productive capacity of her rival across the Channel, or her new nemesis, Germany.
Right at the turn of the century, French design absorbed influences from foreign practice. Her newer battleships featured two twin 300mm gun turrets as opposed to single mounts, less exaggerated tumble-home of the hull, and abandonment of the ram bow. This led to improved seakeeping characteristics, though the ships remained small.
In the
Liberté classThe Liberté class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy, an improvement of the République class battleship of a similar design.-Design and History:...
(completed 1907), French pre-dreadnought design finally caught up with U.S. and British standards; but 1907 also saw the debut of
HMS DreadnoughtThe sixth HMS Dreadnought of the Royal Navy was a battleship that revolutionised naval power when she entered service in 1906. Dreadnought represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well...
, which made all the world's capital ships obsolete overnight. Through 1911, while rival navies were turning out new dreadnoughts, all France's available shipyards were dedicated to producing the 6-ship Danton class pre-dreadnoughts which, though they featured turbine/quad screw propulsion, still mounted only 4 heavy guns each, as against at least 10 for a dreadnought.
The first French dreadnoughts did not appear until 1914, and two classes totalling 7 ships, the
CourbetThe Courbet-class dreadnought was a type of battleship of the French Navy. The Courbet class were designed by M. Lyasse. France was built as part of the 1910 naval building programme....
and
BretagneThe three Bretagne class "super-dreadnought" battleships were built for the French Navy during the First World War. They were named after French provinces.-Design:...
classes, were completed during the First World War. With the alliance with Britain just before the war, France's naval assets were concentrated in the Mediterranean, largely to face off the Italian fleet. Meanwhile a large cruiser fleet was also built, seeing service in the Mediterranean, the Channel, and in France's imperial dominions in Vietnam, Africa, and the Caribbean.
World Wars
The development of the French Navy slowed down in the beginning of 20th century, and as a result, it was outnumbered by the German and US Navies. It was late to introduce new battleships -
dreadnoughtThe dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that battleships built after her were referred to as 'dreadnoughts', and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts. Her design had two...
s and
light cruiserA light cruiser is a warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armoured cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armour in the same way as an armoured cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s and it entered World War I with relatively few modern vessels: only one dreadnought in commission at war's start, though all four Courbets by the end of 1914 and the 3 improved dreadnoughts by mid-1916. During the war, the main French effort was on land. While capital ships already on the ways were completed, few new warships were laid down. Despite its dated roster, the Marine Nationale performed well in World War I. The main operation of the French Navy was the
Dardanelles CampaignThe naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War were mainly carried out by the Royal Navy with substantial support from the French and minor contributions from Russia and Australia. The Dardanelles Campaign began as a purely naval operation...
. France's most significant losses during the war were four pre-dreadnought battleships, victims of mines and U-boat torpedoes.
A number of major ships of the French Navy at the outbreak / end of World War I
- dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that battleships built after her were referred to as 'dreadnoughts', and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts. Her design had two...
battleships: 4/7
- pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleships: 17/13
- armoured cruisers: 22/18
- protected cruiser
Protected cruisers were a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because their deck armour offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
s: 13/12
- destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
s: 35/42 (capacity over 500 tons)
- torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes...
s: 180/164
- submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability...
s: 50/61
The first proto-aircraft carrier
The invention of the
seaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories: floatplanes and flying boats...
in 1910 with the French
Le CanardThe Fabre Hydravion or Le Canard was a French experimental seaplane designed by Henri Fabre, and the first seaplane in history to take off from water under its own power.-Development:...
led to the earliest development of ships designed to carry airplanes, albeit equipped with floats. In 1911 appears the French Navy
La FoudreThe Foudre was a French seaplane carrier, and the first seaplane carrier in history . Her development followed the invention of the seaplane in 1910 with the French Le Canard.-Torpedo boat tender:...
, the first seaplane carrier. She was commissioned as a seaplane tender, and carried float-equipped planes under hangars on the main deck, from where they were lowered on the sea with a crane.
La Foudre was further modified in November 1913 with a 10 metre flat deck to launch her seaplanes.
Genesis of the flat-deck carrier
| "An airplane-carrying vessel is indispensable. These vessels will be constructed on a plan very different from what is currently used. First of all the deck will be cleared of all obstacles. It will be flat, as wide as possible without jeopardizing the nautical lines of the hull, and it will look like a landing field." |
Clément AderClément Ader was a French engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation.-The inventor:...
, "L'Aviation Militaire"L'Aviation Militaire" was a book written by the French inventor Clément Ader and published in 1909 by the Paris publisher Berger-Levrault. The book was essentially based on ideas developed by Ader at the end of the 19th century, which were arranged in final form in 1907...
", 1909 |
As heavier-than-air aircraft developed in the early 20th century various navies began to take an interest in their potential use as scouts for their big gun warships. In 1909 the French inventor
Clément AderClément Ader was a French engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation.-The inventor:...
published in his book "
L'Aviation Militaire"L'Aviation Militaire" was a book written by the French inventor Clément Ader and published in 1909 by the Paris publisher Berger-Levrault. The book was essentially based on ideas developed by Ader at the end of the 19th century, which were arranged in final form in 1907...
" the description of a ship to operate airplanes at sea, with a flat flight deck, an island superstructure, deck elevators and a hangar bay. That year the US Naval Attaché in Paris sent a report on his observations and the first experiments to test the concept were made in the United States from 1910.
Fleet Construction Between the World Wars
Every naval fleet consists of a variety of ships of different sizes, and no fleet has enough resources to make every vessel supreme in its class. Nonetheless, different countries strive to excel in particular classes. Between the world wars, the French fleet was remarkable in its building of small numbers of ships that were "over the top" with relation to their equivalents of other powers.
For example, the French chose to build "super-destroyers" which were deemed during the Second World War by the Allies as the equivalent of light cruisers. This was a way of bypassing the
Treaty of WashingtonThe Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, limited the naval armaments of its five signatories: the United States of America, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The treaty was agreed at the Washington Naval...
, which imposed restrictions on cruisers and battleships, but not on destroyers and smaller units. The
FantasqueThe Fantasque was a large destroyer of the French Navy which served during the Second World War...
class of
destroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
is still the world's fastest class of destroyer. The
Surcouf submarine was the largest and most powerful of its day.
In 1933, the French Navy was considering building a super-battleship, the
Lyon class battleshipThe Lyon class was planned from 1914, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of the First World War one. No ship of the Lyon type was laid down.-Design:The design was an enlarged Normandie class battleship with an extra quadruple 340mm turret...
, but the plans were canceled when the Germans came out with the so-called "pocket battleships" ; the French responded with a class of two ships of the
DunkerqueThe Dunkerque class was a new type of warship of the French Navy, labelled as "fast battleship". Not as large as other contemporary battleships, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class....
type, a
fast battleshipHistorically, a fast battleship was a battleship of which the design featured an emphasis on speed which was unusual, compared to the normal practice of the time. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster...
class falling somewhere in between battlecruisers and battleships. The large battleship niche was filled with the
RichelieuThe Richelieu class battleships were the last and largest of the battleships of the French Navy, staying in service into the 60s.-Background:They were derived from the Dunkerque class, and designed to counter the threat of the Italian Navy...
.
Second World War
At the outset of the war, the French Navy participated in a number of operations against the
Axis PowersThe Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
, patrolling the Atlantic and bombarding
GenoaGenoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000...
. The French surrender and its armistice terms, however, completely changed the situation: the French fleet immediately withdrew from the fight.
Vichy France and the destruction of the French Fleet
The British perceived the French fleet as a potentially lethal threat, should the French become formal enemies or, more likely, should the German Navy (
KriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine, and the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht.-Command structure:Adolf Hitler was the commander-in-chief...
) 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 FrenchThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
ships or were boarded and disarmed.
An important part of the fleet, however, was in
DakarDakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major...
or
Mers-el-KebirMers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:...
. The Royal Navy delivered an ultimatum but, when agreement proved impossible, they opened fire and sunk or damaged much of the French fleet (
Operation CatapultThe Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, part of Operation Catapult and also known as the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir, was an engagement off the coast of French Algeria on 3 July 1940. A British Royal Navy task force attacked and destroyed much of the French fleet, killing 1,297...
) on 3 July 1940. The action soured Anglo-French relations and inhibited further defections to the Allies. From this point on, the ships remaining in
VichystVichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal...
hands spent the war trying to observe neutrality towards the Axis powers, while avoiding destructions or capture by the Allies and the Free French. They obtained anecdotical tactical successes which weighted for nought against the overall strategic disaster, like the
Battle of DakarThe Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa , which was under Vichy French control, and to install the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle...
or the
Battle of Koh ChangThe Battle of Koh Chang took place on January 17, 1941 during the French-Thai War and resulted in a decisive victory by the French over the Thai Navy. Despite the fall of France in 1940 the Vichy government still held sway over France's colonial territories abroad. One of these territories was...
.
In November, 1942, the Allies invaded French North Africa. In response, the Germans occupied (
Case AntonOperation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in 1942.-Background:...
)
Vichy FranceVichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal...
, including the French naval port of
ToulonToulon is a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base...
, 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: Admiral
Jean de LabordeJean de Laborde was a French admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon.As a vice-admiral, Laborde was chief of the First Squadron, organised around the battleship Strasbourg....
, 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 AuphanGabriel Paul Auphan was a French admiral, chief of cabinet of Admiral Darlan under Vichy France and later Secrétaire d'État à la marine of Vichy.- Early career :...
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, in the
Scuttling of the French fleet in ToulonThe 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.-Context:...
. No capital ships and few others were taken in reparable condition
http://www.bobhenneman.info/bhst.htm. A few ships fled Toulon and joined the Allies, notably the submarine
CasabiancaCasabianca was a Redoutable-class submarine of the French Navy, named in honour of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. She was notable for her escape from Toulon in November 1942 as Germans forces tried to seize the French fleet as part of Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France...
.
The Free Naval French Forces
See also List of ships of the Forces navales françaises libres
In the wake of the
ArmisticeThe Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France...
and the Appeal of 18 June,
Charles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II...
founded the
Free French ForcesThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
, including a naval arm, the
Forces navales françaises libres (FNFL, "Free Naval French Forces"). To distinguish the FNFL from the
VichistVichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal...
forces, vice-admiral
Émile MuselierEmile Henry Muselier was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France by adopting the Cross of Lorraine, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French...
created the bow flag displaying the French colours with a red
cross of LorraineThe Cross of Lorraine is a heraldic cross. The "double cross" consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length...
, and a cocarde also featuring the cross of Lorraine for aircraft.
The French fleet was widely dispersed. Some vessels were in port in France; others had escaped from France to British controlled ports, mainly in Britain itself or
AlexandriaAlexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports...
in
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
. At the first stage of Operation Catapult, the ships in the British ports of
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and
PortsmouthPortsmouth is a city located in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city and is located on Portsea Island. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey...
were simply boarded on the night of 3 July 1940. The then largest
submarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability...
in the world, the
SurcoufThe Surcouf was a French submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. Surcouf, named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf, was the largest submarine ever built, until being surpassed by the Japanese I-400...
, which had sought refuge in Portsmouth in June 1940 following the German invasion of France, resisted the British operation. In capturing the submarine, two British officers and one French sailor were killed. Other ships were the two obsolete battleships
ParisThe French battleship Paris was a Courbet-class dreadnought battleship of the French Navy. The Courbet class was designed by M. Lyasse. Paris was built as part of the 1910 naval building programme....
and
Courbet, the destroyers
Triomphant and the
LéopardThe Léopard was a Chacal class destroyer of the French Navy.- Early stages of the war :In May 1940, Léopard, under captaine de frégate Loisel, constituted the 2nd Large Destroyer Division, along with Épervier, Fougueux and Frondeur...
, 8 torpedo boats, 5 submarines and a number of other ships of lesser importance.
Most of these ships were surrendered to the FNFL (notably the
submarine SurcoufThe Surcouf was a French submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. Surcouf, named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf, was the largest submarine ever built, until being surpassed by the Japanese I-400...
) , and other were leased by the British (like the
corvette AconitAconit was one of the nine Flower-class corvettes lent by the Royal Navy to the Force Navales Françaises Libres . During World War II, she escorted 116 convoys, spending 728 days at sea...
), constituting the embryo of a naval force.
When French Africa joined the Allies, important ships based in
DakarDakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major...
were obtained (notably the cruisers
SuffrenThe Suffren was the name ship of her class of French heavy cruisers. She was named for Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, 18th century French admiral....
,
GloireThe Gloire was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class.After completing trials, Gloire arrived in Brest on 18 November 1937, then left for French Indochina on 1 December, returning to Brest on 16 April 1938. Gloire joined the 4th Cruiser Division in January 1939, with which she visited...
,
MontcalmThe Montcalm was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class, named in honour of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. During World War II, she served with both Vichy France and the Allies.-Pre-war:...
,
Georges LeyguesThe Georges Leygues was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class. During World War II, she served with both the Vichy France and Allies. She was named for the prominent 19th and 20th century French politician Georges Leygues....
, and the battleship
RichelieuThe Richelieu was a battleship of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She served during World War II, on the Vichy Regime side, notably fending off an Allied attempt on Dakar, and later with Allied forces in the Indian Ocean in 1944 and 1945...
).
Beside warships, the FNFL developed special forces: Captain
Philippe KiefferPhilippe Kieffer , capitaine de frégate in the French Navy, was a French officer and political personality, and a hero of the Free French Forces.- Early life :...
took inspiration from the British commandos to train new units of "
Commandos Fusiliers-Marins", which later would become the
Commandos MarineThe Naval Commandos are the special forces of the French Navy. They are made up of ~500 members, mostly based in northwestern France , with several bases across the country for specific training needs. The Naval Commandos are nicknamed bérets verts...
. These commandos distinguished themselves during the
Battle of NormandyOperation Overlord was the code name for the invasion of western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation began on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings when an airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault...
, climbing cliffs under fire to destroy German shore batteries. Captain
d'Estienne d'OrvesHenri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves was a French Navy officer, reputed "first martyr of Free France" and one of the major heroes of the French Resistance.-Early life:He was born in Verrières-le-Buisson...
attempted to unite the
French ResistanceThe French Resistance is the collective name used for the French resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy Regime during World War II...
, became an inspiring symbol when he was arrested, tortured by the
GestapoThe was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning in April 1934, it was under the overall administration of the Schutzstaffel under Heinrich Himmler in his position as leader of the SS and Chief of German Police...
and executed.
The FNFL also harboured technical innovators, like Captain
Jacques-Yves CousteauJacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
, who invented the modern
aqua-lungAqualung was the original name for the first open-circuit free-swimming underwater breathing sets; the type most familiar at the time was the twin-hose open-circuit scuba, as developed by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1943, and since then made by various manufacturers with varying...
, and
Yves RocardYves-André Rocard was a French physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb for France.After obtaining a double doctorate in mathematics and physics he was awarded the professorship in electronic physics at the École normale supérieure in Paris.As a member of a Resistance group during the Second...
, who perfected the
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
. The aqua-lung became a major improvement for commando operations.
French warships of the FNFL supported the landings in southern France (
Operation DragoonOperation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France, on August 15, 1944, as part of World War II. The invasion took place between Toulon and Cannes.- Background :...
) and Normandy (
Operation NeptuneThe Normandy Landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 British Double Summer Time...
). These units also played their parts in the war in the Pacific. The
Richelieu was present in
Tokyo Bayis a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Boso Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
during the signing of the
Japanese Instrument of SurrenderThe Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, ending World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the...
.
Modern navy
Currently, French naval doctrine calls for two
aircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, but the French only have one, the
Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy . She is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel, and the first and only nuclear-powered carrier built outside of the United States Navy...
, due to restructuring.
The navy is in the midst of major technological and procurement changes: a
second aircraft carrierPA2 is a planned new aircraft carrier developed for the French Navy by Thales Naval France and DCNS from the Thales UK/BMT design for the future British Queen Elizabeth class...
has been ordered on top of the
Rafales (the naval version) replacing older aircraft.
Newer strategic submarines of the
SNLE-NG typeThe Triomphant class of strategic missile submarines of the French Navy are currently being introduced into service to provide the sea based component of the French 'force de frappe' , with the M45 SLBM.-SNLE-NG:In French, they are called Sous-Marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins de Nouvelle...
have mostly replaced the elder SNLE, and a
new nuclear ballistic missileThe M51 SLBM is the French Navy's future submarine launched ballistic missile, designed to replace the M45 SLBM ....
is under test, due for 2008. The experience acquired with the building of the SNLE-NG will also lead to a
newer type of nuclear attack submarinesThe Barracuda class is a planned nuclear attack submarine class of the French Navy, designed by the French shipbuilder DCNS to replace the Rubis class submarines....
, which are expected for 2017.
Surface forces are upgrading in numbers and modernity, with
two large destroyersThe Horizon Common New Generation Frigate is a multi-national collaboration to produce a new generation of anti-air warfare frigates. Originally an alliance of Britain, France and Italy, the project is now a French/Italian effort following the withdrawal of Britain due to differing requirements...
and
11 frigatesThe FREMM Multipurpose Frigate is a ship designed by DCNS and Fincantieri to operate in anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, and be capable of carrying out deep strikes against land targets.The French Navy plans to operate eleven FREMM frigates, and...
planned. More
modern missilesStorm Shadow is an Anglo-French air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA and used by France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Greece. Storm Shadow is the British name for the weapon; in French service it is called SCALP EG...
are being issued, notably adding cruise missile capabilities.
Politicians
- Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu , was a French clergyman, noble, and statesman....
- Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert served as the French minister of finance from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. He was described by Mme de Sévigné as "Le Nord", because he was cold and unemotional. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister...
Heroes of the Ancien Régime
- Admiral d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral, in the American Revolutionary War, who was killed during the Reign of Terror.-Biography:...
, admiral of the French fleet which help the USA secure independence
- Duguay-Trouin
René Trouin, Sieur du Gué, usually called René Duguay-Trouin, was a famous French corsair of Saint-Malo. He had a brilliant privateering and naval career and eventually became "Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies of the King" René Trouin, Sieur du Gué, usually called René Duguay-Trouin, (Saint...
, famous privateer
- Anne Hilarion de Tourville
Anne Hilarion de Costentin, comte de Tourville was a French naval commander who served under King Louis XIV.-Military career:At age 17, as a Knight of Malta, he fought his first naval battle on a frigate of the Order of Malta....
Heroes of the First Republic
- Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca
See Casabianca for other meaningsLuc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca was a French Navy officer.- Career :...
- Robert Surcouf
Robert Surcouf was a famous French corsair. During his legendary career, he captured 47 ships and was renowned for his gallantry and chivalry, earning the nickname of Roi des Corsaires .- Youth :...
- Latouche-Tréville
Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville was a French admiral and a hero of the American Revolutionary War and of the Napoleonic wars.-Early life:...
Explorers
- Captain La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
- Captain Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the Australian coast in 1792 while seeking traces of the lost expedition of La Pérouse....
- Dumont d'Urville
Rear Admiral Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville was a French explorer and naval officer, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica....
- Bougainville
Louis-Antoine, comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer.- Early career :Bougainville was born in Paris, the son of a notary, on either 11 or 12 November 1729. In early life, he studied law, but soon abandoned the profession, and in 1753 entered the army in the corps of musketeers...
- Captain Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
Other important French naval officers
- Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson and Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar.- Early career :Villeneuve was born in 1763 at Valensole, Basses...
- commander of the French and SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
fleets at the Battle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars . The battle was the most decisive British naval victory of the war...
- Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse
Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse was a French admiral.-Early career:Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse was born in Auch, in the heart of Gascony. The Villaret de Joyeuse family figured among the minor nobility from Languedoc...
- Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti , born January 14, 1850 in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime and died June 10, 1923 in Hendaye, was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:...
, mostly known for his literary works
Lists of ships
External links