French Aircraft Carriers, 1910-2000

French Aircraft Carriers, 1910–2000 is the first comprehensive English-language study of France’s carrier development, combining technical detail with rich historical context and over 200 illustrations. From early seaplane tenders to the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, this book charts the full evolution of French carrier design, innovation, and naval ambition.

French Aircraft Carriers, 1910-2000 is the only comprehensive study of French aircraft carriers in English, combining technical and historical coverage as well as over 200 photos and specially-commissioned pieces of artwork.

French carrier aviation traces its origins to the Foudre, a highly original ship initially designed to carry torpedo boats into action but later converted into a seaplane carrier. During World War I, a number of merchant ships were requisitioned to support aircraft. As a result, the former sloop Bapaume became the first French ship to launch wheeled aircraft while underway.

The Washington Treaty of 1922 prevented the completion of traditional capital ships, so France, like the other major naval powers, decided to convert an incomplete battleship, the Béarn, to an experimental carrier. Between 1929 and 1936 there were fifteen ‘paper designs’, all covered in this book, but the only aviation ship added to the inter-war French navy was the highly unusual Commandant Teste, whose tactical rationale and service history is explored at length. France’s first purpose-designed carriers, Joffre and Painlevé were ordered just before the outbreak of World War II but the Armistice of 1940 meant that neither was ever completed.

Some design work continued during the war, which culminated in the projected PA28 Clemenceau of 1948, but the ship proved too expensive and was cancelled in 1949. Instead, France acquired four second-hand ships from Britain and the USA which, as Dixmude, Arromanches, Lafayette, and Bois Belleau, played a significant role in the postwar conflict in French Indochina.

After budgeting and planning delays, the Marine Nationalefinally obtained its first modern, indigenously built carriers with Clemenceau (1961) and Foch (1963). These important ships enjoyed long and successful careers, and their evolution and service histories form a major focus of this book. The final chapters cover developments up to the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle and an epilogue looks at the French Navy’s plans for future naval aviation, making this a complete history from the earliest days to the present.