French Carrier Disaster Gets Very Strange

StrategyPage ^ | December 4, 2003 | 'Dirty Little Secrets’

[quidnunc]

December 4, 2003: France is considering quietly retiring their new nuclear powered aircraft carrier and joining with Britain to buy a new carrier of British design. Actually, the French had planned to built a second nuclear powered carrier, but they are having so many problems with the first one that they are quite reluctant about building another one. Britain is building two 50,000 ton conventionally powered carriers, at a cost of $2.5 billion each. France would order a third of this class, and bring down the cost of all three a bit. The new French nuclear carrier "Charles de Gaulle" has suffered from a seemingly endless string of problems. The 40,000 ton ship has cost over four billion dollars so far and is slower than the diesel powered carrier it replaced. Flaws in the "de Gaulle" have led it to using the propellers from it predecessor, the "Foch," because the ones built for "de Gaulle" never worked right. Worse, the nuclear reactor installation was done poorly, exposing the engine crew to five times the allowable annual dose of radiation. There were also problems with the design of the deck, making it impossible to operate the E-2 radar aircraft that are essential to defending the ship and controlling offensive operations. Many other key components of the ship did not work correctly, and the carrier has been under constant repair and modification. The "de Gaulle" took eleven years to build (1988-99) and was not ready for service until late 2000. It's been downhill ever since. So the plan is to buy into the new British carrier building program and keep the "de Gaulle" in port and out of trouble as much as possible. The British have a lot more experience building carriers, and if  there are any problems with the British designed ship, one can blame the British.

-snip-

[Flora McDonald]

"I feel like lighting up a cigarette after reading this one."

LOL!

[ChadGore]

Now we see why Chiraq is so into isolationism and appeasement.

[Gritty]

Manurhin MR73

Pretty dandy.

[USNBandit]

I thought the french made decent ships back then, but they didn't have the skill to put them to good use?

I have a buddy of mine that used to fly P-3's. His dad also flew P-3's years ago. They have logged time in the same P-3.

[taxed2death]

My respect for French designers went down the toilet after seeing the 2003 Ducati 999. A lesson learned, never let a French man design an Italian sportbike. Ducati can't give them away, even though it is functionally the same as it's predecessor, the testastretta powered 998, a beautiful bike.

Ducati should have just slapped their GP-1 motorcycle bodywork on the 999 and called it a day. They would have sold every 999 on looks alone.

Oh well.

[Blue Scourge]

That thing *will not dignify it with the term ship* is only slightly larger than a WW2 carrier.

[gitmo]

[USNBandit]

The article glosses over the recovery problem with the E-2 Hawkeyes the French bought. On landing rollout if the pilot of an E-2 caught the last wire his nosewheel was likely to roll off the end of the landing area. They didn't build a big enough L.A. for an aircraft they planned to use from the start of the project.

[GATOR NAVY]

Was it the reactor itself or shielding problems?

[PAR35]

On landing rollout if the pilot of an E-2 caught the last wire his nosewheel was likely to roll off the end of the landing area.

Simple solution - remove the last wire.

[Snuffington]

As long as we're talking about getting it right

schadenfreude

Ahem... in this case the proper term is schadenfrog.

[PAR35]

I didn't see a link to the earlier story, so here it is:

France has no seaworthy aircraft carriers
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a3bb72a600b.htm
Posted Posted on 12/16/2000

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I don't know enough about the subject to say...

[battlegearboat]

The accordion arresting gear doesn't work.

Everything it arrests...it lets go.

This must be giving them an Exocet stomach.

[Southack]

See Post #16.

The biggest non-secret in Europe is that France's President Chiraq is completely corrupt.

The De Gaulle wasn't meant to be an aircraft carrier so much as it was designed to be a convenient way for corrupt French politicians to give away mega-Franc (this was pre-Euro) contracts to their fellow corrupt buddies in exchange for outright bribes, mistresses, and campaign contributions.

So the De Gaulle doesn't meet any nuclear safety standards. C'est la vie. So its props failed on its maiden sea trial. So its deck rusted. So it's become a maintenance whore.

What did anyone expect?! Chiraq and his buddies got to sleep with some beautiful women, girls, and boys all at French taxpayer expense, while corrupt contractors got away with substandard materials and workmanship (and design) in exchange for providing such favors to such powerful men.

And the French press, in bed with Chiraq in a very different way, continues to screw their fellow Frenchmen to this very day by refusing to expose Chiraq's corruption.

Likewise, the American news media (always anxious to curry favor with "sophisticated" Europe), refuses to even perform a cursory investigation of this in-your-face-corruption.

Gosh, an American reporter might gasp, exposing the French might make France's political posturing less alluring to the American public.

Can't have that, now can we?!

[aculeus]

The new British liner Queen Mary Two is under construction in France.

Note to self: stick with Holland America.

[blam]

"Seems like the perfect place to post W's Speech at the Christening of the USS Ronald Wilson Reagan: "

I have a picture of that christening over my desk presently, courtesy of the RNC.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: The French propeller mamufacturer was accused of corruption/payback. The night before the pre-announced raid on the factory the building and all it's records burned.

Was it owned by the Clintons?

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: So who is the chick sucking her thumb in the pic....?

Monica moved to France cause she couldn't get a date here in the old USA...

[PAR35]

The new British liner Queen Mary Two is under construction in France.
Note to self: stick with Holland America.

You are overreacting. It has only killed 13 folks before even leaving the dock.

Accident on Queen Mary II Kills 13
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1022528/posts