The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers 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...

.

The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe. Originally the academy was based on ships, anchored in the harbour of 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...

, such as the Borda

French ship Valmy

Valmy, named after the Battle of Valmy, was the largest three-decker of the French Navy, and the largest tall ship ever built in France.-Design:Valmy was laid down at Brest in 1838 as Formidable and launched in 1847...

(previously named Valmy), hence the nickname of "Bordache" given to the students.

In 1914, the École Navale was transferred ashore in Brest. The school was destroyed by Allied bombing raids during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and was moved to nearby Lanvéoc-Poulmic, on the opposite side of the bay of Brest (Rade de Brest). The academy remained in this location, and was officially inaugurated by Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle

Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....

 in 1965.

Famous alumni

• Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
  Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
  Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, best known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza , was a Franco-Italian explorer, born in Italy and later naturalized Frenchman...
  
  
• Henri Bretonnet
  Henri Bretonnet
  Henri-Etienne Bretonnet was a French naval officer, killed with most of his men in the battle of Togbao.Bretonnet entered in the navy by attending the École Navale, the Navy Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy...
  
  
• Jacques-Yves Cousteau
  Jacques-Yves 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...
  
  
• Philippe Tailliez
  Philippe Tailliez
  Philippe Tailliez was a friend and colleague of Jacques Cousteau. He was an underwater pioneer, who had been diving since the 1930s.- Biography :...
  
  
• François Darlan
  François Darlan
  Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
  
  
• Félix du Temple
• Émile Gentil
  Émile Gentil
  Émile Gentil was a French colonial administrator, naval officer, and colonial military leader.Born at Volmunster in the department of Moselle, he later attended the École Navale, the school that formed French naval officers. As an ensign, he was assigned to conduct hydrographic soundings along the...
  
  
• Matila Ghyka
• Paul Groussac
  Paul Groussac
  Paul-François Groussac was a French-born Argentine writer, literary critic, historian, and librarian. He was born in Toulouse to Catherine Deval and Pierre Groussac, the scion of an old Languedocian family.-Biography:...
  
  
• Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre
  Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre
  Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre was a french colonial administrator, diplomat and scholar.-Early career:...
  
  
• Henri Rivière
• Michel Serres
  Michel Serres
  Michel Serres is a French philosopher and author, celebrated for his unusual career.-Life and career:...
  
  

Further Reading

• Maria Petringa, Brazza, A Life for Africa, Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2006. ISBN 978-1425911980. A biography of French Naval Academy alumnus, explorer of Africa, and human rights activist Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
  Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
  Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, best known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza , was a Franco-Italian explorer, born in Italy and later naturalized Frenchman...
  
  , including a detailed description of his years on the training ship Borda.

External links

• Official site of the École Navale