CHARLES DE GAULLE aircraft carrier

[shipstamps]

Built as a nuclear propelled aircraft carrier by DCN Brest Naval shipyard at Brest, France for the French Navy.
04 February 1986 ordered, and the first metal was cut on 24 November 1987. Her intended name was RICHELIEU, but one year later renamed.
14 April 1989 laid down.
07 May 1994 launched under the name CHARLES DE GAULLE, named after French statesman and General, Charles de Gaulle (1890 – 1970).
Displacement 36.600 ton standard, 42.000 ton full load. Dim. 261.5 x 64.4 x 8.7m. (draught).
Powered by two nuclear K15 Pressurized Water Reactors, given steam to two GEC Alsthom turbines, 82.000 hp., twin shafts, speed 27 knots.
She can steam five years continuous with a speed of 25 knots before refueling.
Armament; Four 8-cell Sylver launchers carrying the MBDA Aster 15 surface to air missile. Two 6-cell Sadral launchers, carrying Mistral short range missiles. Four Giat 20F2 20mm guns.
Carried 20 Supper Étendard 2 E-2C Hawkeye and 12 Rafale F1 aircraft and 2 AS 565 Panther or 2 AS 322 Cougard (AF) or 2 Super Frelon plus 2 Dauphin SAR helicopters.
Her building was delayed by three years due to defence budgets cut.
From October 1999 to March 2000 modifications, which included additional radiation shielding, and the lengthening of angled flight deck by 4.4 meter.
Crew 1.150, air wing 600.
26 January 1999 she made her first sea trials.
28 September 2000 handed over to the French Navy.
09 November 2000 on a trial voyage from France to Norfolk Virginia in the Western Atlantic a large portion of the port propeller was lost while she was steaming under high speed, she had to return to Toulon to replace the propeller, two propellers were fitted on, belonging to the decommissioned CLEMENCEAU, maximum speed decreased to 24 knots.
26 March 2001 trials resumed
18 May 2001 commissioned.

She is the only serving French aircraft carrier and the flagship of the French Navy. And till this moment the largest and most powerful European aircraft carrier.
She took part in Mission Héracles and on 19 December 2001 aircraft from her deck carried out their first missions above Afghanistan.
During this operation airplanes from the CHARLES DE GAULLE carried out 140 missions.

From 09 June till 19 June 2002, CHARLES DE GAULLE and her group took up positions in the Indian Ocean, and carried out interposition missions to ease the tensions between India and Pakistan , when tensions over Kashmir rose between this two countries.

09 October 2002 a helicopter from her deck rescued three people from the 8-meter yacht BABOLIN in the Mediterranean, when the CHARLES DE GAULLE was on maneuvers in the region.

2006 Still in service.

Source Jane’s 2004/05. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Charles_de_Gaulle
France SG3895

[aukepalmhof]

Guinea-Bissau 2012 700FCFA sg?, scott?
Comores 2009 3000 fc sg?, scott?
Rep. Central Africa 2017 3300f sgMS?, scott? (She is in the border of the MS.)
Sierra Leone 2019 LE50000 sgMS?, scott?
Niger 2019 3300F sgMS?, scott?