Posted on 03/27/2011 10:26:21 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
France's floating frontline against Libya's Gaddafi
Sun Mar 27, 2011
By Elizabeth Pineau
ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER CHARLES DE GAULLE (Reuters) - Dressed in a khaki uniform and protective helmet, a French pilot emerges from the Rafale fighter jet that just landed on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle carrier, back from another mission over Libya.
A dozen mechanics scramble to assess the plane: the fuel specialists wear red, the maintenance crew green and the on-deck traffic controllers wear yellow, barking orders that have earned them the French nickname "yellow dogs".
A Hawkeye radar plane is next to land, soon to be replaced by another on the night flight.
"It never stops," says a lieutenant.
The Charles de Gaulle is a week into its mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and protect civilians from forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The coalition air strikes seem to have helped the rebels turn the tide against his forces, but Gaddafi says they have killed civilians.
French forces said on Saturday that they had destroyed seven Libyan aircraft -- five planes and two helicopters -- in the western town of Misrata, where pro-Gaddafi units have mounted an assault to try to oust rebels.
FROM AFGHANISTAN TO LIBYA
The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle is France's only operational aircraft carrier. Its 2,000 sailors have had little rest since a previous mission supporting the decade-old campaign in Afghanistan ended in February. A map of Libya has replaced the contours of Afghanistan on the walls and monitors of the carrier's radar room.
"At least we're being put to good use," said Jordan, a quartermaster. It is business as usual
(Excerpt) Read more at af.reuters.com ...
Is this the first time the French have run actual combat operations off of an aircrat carrier?
Nope
http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/french_aircraft_carriers.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_Clemenceau_(R98)
No. They've run similar sorties off the coasts of other African countries, like Djoubit(sp?). They also participated in the Yugoslavian wars and they were off the coast of Lebanon when the Marine Barracks blew up participating in overflight ops there, too.
There might be other instances, but those are all I remember.
I was TAD on the Foch back in the late 80s during a NATO exercise. It was the most comfortable two-weeks I have ever spent on ship. The French know how to live.
This would be nice if they were not fighting on the wrong side. As they did in Yugoslavia, too.
One of the great features of this ship is that it has a large glass bottom so the new french sailors can see the old french navy....
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Indo-China late 1940s
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"... In that case, is this carrier moving backwards?? ..."
why do you think that it is moving backwards? Look again. Examine both ends of the ship and you will see from whence cometh the wake.
You do realize I was making a joke right? Don’t take yourself so seriously!
Ouch...
I did not know that the French had any working carriers...
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