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80-559: The Oceanographic Museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Monaco's modernist reformer Prince Albert I , who invited to the celebrations not just high officials and celebrities but also the world-leading oceanographers of the day to develop the concept of a future Mediterranean Commission dedicated to oceanography, now called Mediterranean Science Commission . Jacques-Yves Cousteau was director from 1957 to 1988. The Museum celebrated its centenary in March 2010, after extensive renovations. The museum

160-650: A Belgian noblewoman , maternal aunt of Donna Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Princess della Cisterna , Duchess consort of Aosta and Queen consort of Spain . As a young man, Prince Albert served in the Spanish Navy as a navigator. During the Franco-Prussian War , he joined the French Navy where he was awarded the Legion of Honor . In addition to his interest in oceanographic studies, Albert had

240-731: A German botanist sent him in 1912. In 1918, the US National Academy of Sciences awarded Prince Albert its Alexander Agassiz Medal for his achievements. The Explorers Club elected Albert I to its highest category of membership — Honorary Member — in 1921. He was also awarded the Cullum Geographical Medal of the American Geographical Society . Prince Rainier of Monaco and the International Association for

320-451: A French marine biologist discovered a patch of a giant, tropical seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia directly under the walls of the museum. The actual source and extent of this exotic introduction remain a matter of controversy. 43°43′51″N 7°25′31″E  /  43.73083°N 7.42528°E  / 43.73083; 7.42528 Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922)

400-452: A critical role in establishing and securing the French colonial empire for over 400 years. The French Navy pioneered several innovations in naval technology, including the first steam-powered ship of the line , first seagoing ironclad warship , first mechanically propelled submarine , first steel-hulled warship, and first armoured cruiser . The French Navy consists of six main components:

480-784: A decade long, followed by the War of the Austrian Succession in the 1740s. Principal engagements of these wars include the Battle of Vigo Bay and two separate Battles of Cape Finisterre in 1747. The most grueling conflict for the Navy, however, was the Seven Years' War , in which it was virtually destroyed. Significant actions include the Battle of Cap-Français , the Battle of Quiberon Bay , and another Battle of Cape Finisterre . The Navy regrouped and rebuilt, and within 15 years it

560-635: A fleet of offshore and coastal patrol vessels, mine countermeasures vessels as well as auxiliaries and support ships. The French Naval Aviation is officially known as the Aéronautique navale and was created on the 19 June 1998 with the merging of Naval patrol aircraft and aircraft carrier squadrons. It has a strength of around 6,800 civilian and military personnel operating from four airbases in Metropolitan France. The Aéronavale has been modernized with 40 Rafale fighters which operate from

640-955: A fourth Battle of Ushant (known in English as the Glorious First of June ), the Battle of Groix , the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 , the French expedition to Ireland , the Battle of Tory Island , and the Battle of the Nile . Other engagements of the Revolutionary Wars ensued in the early 1800s, including the Battle of the Malta Convoy and the Algeciras Campaign . The Quasi-War wound down with single-ship actions including USS Constellation vs La Vengeance and USS Enterprise vs Flambeau . When Napoleon

720-580: A keen interest in the origins of man and in Paris, he founded the " Institute for Human Paleontology " that was responsible for a number of archeological digs. The " Grimaldi Man " found in the Baousse-Rousse cave was named in his honour. Albert's intellectual achievements gained him worldwide recognition and in 1909, the British Academy of Science made him a member. On 21 September 1869 at

800-584: A maritime force of patrol boats that falls under the operational command of the French Navy: During most of the Cold War, the Navy was organised in two squadrons based in Brest and Toulon, commanded by ALESCLANT ( Amiral commandant l'escadre de l'Atlantique ) and ALESCMED ( Amiral commandant l'escadre de la Méditerranée ) respectively. Since the post-Cold War restructuring process named Optimar '95,

880-419: A match between Albert and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge , the first cousin of Queen Victoria , and sought the help of Napoléon III (Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) and his wife, Empress Eugénie . The Emperor convinced Caroline that Queen Victoria would never allow a relative of hers to marry into a family who made a living out of gambling. He then suggested Mary, his third cousin and sister of his good friend,

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960-474: A number of techniques and instruments for measurement and exploration. Albert I was also the “instigator and promulgator” of the oceanographic science he contributed to create. He founded the Institut océanographique , Foundation Albert I, Prince of Monaco in 1906, a private foundation recognized of public utility. It has two buildings: The Oceanographic Institute of Paris, now renamed Ocean House, and what became

1040-556: A rapid pace that it was superfluous. Isolated engagements between French and German ships took place in other theaters, but the war was over in a matter of weeks. The Navy continued to protect colonial safety and expansion under the French Third Republic . The Sino-French War saw considerable naval action including the Battle of Fuzhou , the Battle of Shipu , and the Pescadores Campaign . In Vietnam,

1120-414: A wide array of flora and fauna. Four thousand species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates can be seen. The aquarium also features a presentation of Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystems. Numerous artists display their artworks in the museum, such as Damien Hirst and Philippe Pasqua . This monumental example of highly charged Baroque Revival architecture has an impressive façade above

1200-490: A wide range of fighting vessels, including various aeronaval forces, attack and ballistic missile submarines , frigates , patrol boats and support ships, with aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle serving as the centerpiece of most expeditionary forces. The history of French naval power dates back to the Middle Ages , and had three loci of evolution: The first true French Royal Navy ( French : la Marine Royale )

1280-476: Is home to exhibitions and collections of various species of sea fauna (starfish, seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, rays, sharks, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, eels, cuttlefish etc.). The museum's holdings also include a great variety of sea related objects, including model ships, sea animal skeletons, tools, weapons etc., as well as a collection of material culture and ritual objects made from, or integrating materials such as pearls, molluscs and nacre. At

1360-574: Is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of France . It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in the world recognised as being a blue-water navy . The French Navy is capable of operating globally and conducting expeditionary missions, maintaining a significant overseas presence . The French Navy is one of eight naval forces currently operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers , with its flagship Charles de Gaulle being

1440-546: The Durance class are being replaced under the FLOTLOG project by up to four derivatives of Italy's Vulcano -class logistic support ship , with three being delivered from 2023 to 2027. A fourth potential ship is delayed until after 2030. Construction has started on the first of six Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarines ; commissioning of Suffren took place in 2020. These nuclear attack submarines are to be followed in

1520-558: The Georges Leygues class , but plans to buy a possible seventeen FREMMs were cut back to eleven and then to eight. The cancellation of the third and fourth Horizon destroyers meant that the last two FREMM hulls, which entered service between 2021 and 2023, are fitted out as FREDA air-defence ships to replace the Cassard class . DCNS has shown a FREMM-ER concept to meet this requirement, emphasising ballistic missile defence with

1600-475: The 12th Duke of Hamilton , as a suitable alternative. Mary was a granddaughter of Charles, Grand Duke of Baden and related by blood to the French Imperial family through her maternal grandmother Stéphanie de Beauharnais , Emperor Napoléon I 's adopted daughter and second cousin of Napoléon III's mother, Hortense de Beauharnais . The Hamiltons were well aware of the extent of Monaco's estate, which

1680-506: The 2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security . The French Navy operates three amphibious assault ships , ten air defence and anti-submarine frigates , five general purpose frigates and has a commitment to six fleet submarines (SSNs). These vessels, with the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle , constitute the French Navy's main ocean-going war-fighting force, while the four ballistic missile submarines ( SSBN ) of

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1760-586: The Azores , he discovered the Princess Alice Bank . From an early age, Prince Albert I of Monaco evidenced a strong fascination for the polar regions . In the years 1898-1907 he made four scientific cruises to Svalbard on his yacht Princesse Alice . His efforts are honored by the later naming of Albert I Land on Spitsbergen . The first cruise in the summer of 1898 was an oceanographical and zoological reconnaissance, aimed mainly at adding to

1840-609: The Battle of Grenada , the invasion of Dominica , and three separate Battles of Ushant . Within less than a decade, however, the Navy was decimated by the French Revolution when large numbers of veteran officers were dismissed or executed for their noble lineage. Nonetheless, the Navy fought vigorously through the French Revolutionary Wars as well as the Quasi-War . Significant actions include

1920-598: The Battle of Navarino , and throughout the rest of the century they generally behaved in a manner that paved the way for the Entente Cordiale . Charles X sent a large fleet to execute the invasion of Algiers in 1830 . The next year, his successor, Louis Philippe I , made a show of force against Portugal at the Battle of the Tagus , and in 1838 conducted another display of gunboat diplomacy , this time in Mexico at

2000-509: The Battle of Veracruz . Beginning in 1845, a five-year Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata was imposed on Argentina over trade rights. The Emperor Napoleon III was determined to follow an even stronger foreign policy than his predecessors, and the Navy was involved in a multitude of actions around the world. He joined in the Crimean War in 1854; major actions for the Navy include

2080-714: The British Academy . In 1910 the Prince was the main founder of the Institute of Human Paleontology ( Institut de paléontologie humaine ) in Paris, close to the Jardin des plantes which is the seat of the French National Museum of Natural History . Finally, he showed a keen interest in environmental protection, especially in Svalbard. This is demonstrated by his responses to a questionnaire that Hugo Conwentz ,

2160-773: The Château de Marchais (which is still in the possession of the Grimaldi family today) in Champagne , Prince Albert was married to Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton (1850–1922), of Lanarkshire , Scotland , a daughter of the 11th Duke of Hamilton and his wife, Princess Marie Amelie of Baden . The couple met for the first time in August 1869 at a ball hosted by the Emperor and Empress of France; their marriage had been arranged by Albert's grandmother Caroline . Caroline had tried to make

2240-792: The Fifth Republic ; it was last granted in 1869, during the Second Empire , but retained during the Third Republic until the death of its bearer in 1873. The title of amiral de la flotte was created so that Darlan would not have an inferior rank than his counterpart in the British Royal Navy , who had the rank of Admiral of the Fleet . The rank insignia of commissioned officers . The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel . Unlike in

2320-581: The French Army and Air and Space Force , one does not prepend mon to the name of the rank when addressing an officer (that is, not mon capitaine, but simply capitaine ). The main military musical unit of the French Navy is the Military Band of the Toulon Fleet ( French : La musique des équipages de la flotte de Toulon ), founded on 13 July 1827. The Bagad Lann Bihoue , based on

2400-828: The Monte Carlo Rally , an automobile race designed to draw tourists to Monaco and the Casino . Despite his military service, or perhaps because of it, the Prince became a pacifist, establishing the International Institute of Peace in Monaco as a place to develop a peaceful settlement for conflict through arbitration. In the tension-filled times leading up to World War I , Prince Albert made numerous attempts to dissuade Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II from war. When war came, Prince Albert could not avoid becoming involved. In one incident, he even wrote personally to

2480-793: The Naval Action Force , the Submarine Forces ( FOST and ESNA ), French Naval Aviation , the Navy Riflemen (including Naval Commandos ), the Marseille Naval Fire Battalion , and the Maritime Gendarmerie . As of 2021, the French Navy employed 44,000 personnel (37,000 military and 7,000 civilian), more than 180 ships, 200 aircraft, and six commandos units; as of 2014, its reserve element numbered roughly 48,000. It operates

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2560-695: The Norwegian Campaign , the Dunkirk evacuation and, briefly, the Battle of the Mediterranean . However, after the fall of France in June 1940, the Navy was obligated to remain neutral under the terms of the armistice that created the truncated state of Vichy France . Worldwide, some 100 naval vessels and their crews heeded General Charles de Gaulle 's call to join forces with the British, but

2640-876: The Royal Navy until the end of the war. In the Pacific theatre as well, Free French vessels operated until the Japanese capitulation; Richelieu was present at the Japanese Instrument of Surrender . The Navy later provided fire support and troop transport in the Indochina War , the Algerian War , the Gulf War , and the Kosovo War . Since 2000, the Navy has given logistical support to

2720-556: The Troupes de la marine , the former of which maintained two drums (tambour) and a fife . France's financial problems have affected all branches of her military. The 2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security cancelled the long-planned new aircraft carrier and a possible fourth Mistral -class amphibious assault ship . The backbone of the fleet will be the Aquitaine -class FREMM anti-submarine frigates , replacing

2800-611: The War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) as well as the global War on Terror . In 2011, it assisted Opération Harmattan in Libya. The chief of the naval staff is Vice-admiral d’escadre Arnaud de Tarlé , and as of 2014 the Navy has an active strength of 36,776 military personnel and 2,909 civilian staff. The Navy is organised into four main operational branches: In addition, the National Gendarmerie of France maintain

2880-544: The bagad bands in Bretagne , is currently the sole pipe band in the service of the French Navy, which uses bagpipes and bombards , and thus is affiliated to the band. In Canada , French naval music has affected the traditions of Canadian navy bands . French navy bands in the country date back to the era of New France . Musical units were primarily attached to the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and

2960-655: The siege of Petropavlovsk and the Battle of Kinburn . The Navy was heavily involved in the Cochinchina Campaign in 1858, the Second Opium War in China, and the French intervention in Mexico . It took part in the French expedition to Korea and the Shimonoseki campaign . In the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the Navy imposed an effective blockade of Germany, but events on land proceeded at such

3040-426: The 2030s by the incremental introduction of a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) whose construction began in 2024. The first MM40 Exocet Block 3 missile was test-fired in 2010 to be produced. Naval versions of the SCALP EG land-attack cruise missile are under development, along with a planned Aster Block 1NT with greater capabilities against ballistic missiles. In October 2018,

3120-414: The 20th century as the naval arms race between Germany and Great Britain grew in intensity. It entered World War I with relatively few modern vessels, and during the war few warships were built because the main French effort was on land. While the British held control of the North Sea, the French held the Mediterranean, where they mostly kept watch on the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The largest operations of

3200-421: The Allies invaded French North Africa . But the confrontations were set aside once the Germans occupied Vichy France . The capital ships were a primary goal of the occupation, but before they could be seized they were scuttled by their own crews . A few small ships and submarines managed to escape in time, and these joined de Gaulle's Free French Naval Forces , an arm of Free France that fought as an adjunct of

3280-398: The Americas; Port des Galets and Dzaoudzi in the Indian Ocean; and Nouméa and Papeete in the Pacific. In addition, the navy shares or leases bases in foreign locales such as Abu Dhabi , Dakar and Djibouti . Although French naval doctrine calls for two aircraft carriers , the French only have one, Charles de Gaulle . Originally a planned order for French aircraft carrier PA2

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3360-437: The French Ministry of Defence launched an 18-month study for €40 million for the eventual future replacement of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle beyond 2030. A decision to build the new carrier was taken by President Emmanuel Macron in 2020 and once it enters service it is anticipated to remain in service until beyond 2080. Construction of the new carrier is to begin in around 2025 with service entry anticipated in

3440-424: The French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels. Until 2005, only commissioned officers had an anchor on their insignia, but enlisted personnel are now receiving them as well. Commanding officers have titles of capitaine , but are called commandant (in the army, both capitaine and commandant are ranks, which tends to stir some confusion among

3520-461: The French Navy was a golden anchor , which, beginning in 1830, was interlaced by a sailing rope ; this symbol was featured on all naval vessels, arms, and uniforms. Although anchor symbols are still used on uniforms, a new naval logo was introduced in 1990 under Naval Chief of Staff Bernard Louzeau, featuring a modern design that incorporates the tricolour —by flanking the bow section of a white warship with two ascending red and blue spray foams—and

3600-455: The Kaiser in an effort to ameliorate the consequences of Gen. Karl von Bülow 's wrath. Without the Prince's intervention, the French villages of Sissonne and Marchais would have been destroyed. In the "Great War to End All Wars", Monaco declared its neutrality, but in fact, provided the Allied forces with hospitals, convalescent centers, and soldiers, including Prince Albert's only son, Louis. Albert died on 26 June 1922 in Paris, France, and

3680-422: The Navy cut its teeth in the Anglo-French War (1627–1629) , the Franco-Spanish War (1635–59) , the Second Anglo-Dutch War , the Franco-Dutch War , and the Nine Years' War . Major battles in these years include the Battle of Augusta , Battle of Beachy Head , the Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue , the Battle of Lagos , and the Battle of Texel . The 1700s opened with the War of the Spanish Succession , over

3760-432: The Navy helped wage the Tonkin Campaign which included the Battle of Thuận An , and it later participated in the Franco-Siamese conflict of 1893 . The 19th century French Navy brought forth numerous new technologies. It led the development of naval artillery with its invention of the highly effective Paixhans gun . In 1850, Napoléon became the first steam-powered ship of the line in history, and Gloire became

3840-452: The Navy were conducted during the Dardanelles Campaign . In December 1916, during the Noemvriana events, French warships also bombarded Athens, trying to force the pro-German government of Greece to change its policies. The French Navy also played an important role in countering Germany's U-boat campaign by regularly patrolling the seas and escorting convoys. Between the World Wars, the Navy modernized and expanded significantly, even in

3920-573: The Physical Sciences of the Oceans established the Prince Albert I Medal in the physical and chemical sciences of the oceans in his honor. Albert I constituted a collection of postage stamps . The collection was later continued by Louis II and finally became part of the postal museum Rainier III that created in 1950. Albert I was featured on a €2 commemorative coin issued by the Principality of Monaco in 2022. French Navy The French Navy ( French : Marine nationale , lit.   'National Navy'), informally La Royale ,

4000-409: The Thales Sea Fire 500 AESA radar. Industrial considerations mean that the funds for FREMMs 9-11 are now being spent on five more exportable Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention ( FDI , "intermediate size frigates" ) from 2024 to supplement, and ultimately replace, the La Fayette class, three of which are being upgraded with new sonars to operate into the early 2030s. With respect to support ships,

4080-502: The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle . Seamen must be at least 17 but no more than 30 years old, with no minimum level of schooling. Petty officers must be at least 17 but no more than 30 years old, with at least a high school diploma giving access to university studies. Petty Officer Candidate begin training with five months at the Petty Officer School of Maistrance at Brest . Contract officers serve on an initial eight-year contract, renewable up to 20 years. The rank insignia of

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4160-423: The bulk of the fleet, including all its capital ships, transferred loyalty to Vichy French Navy (Marine de Vichy). Concerned that the German Navy might somehow gain control of the ships, the British mounted an attack on Mers-el-Kébir , the Algerian city where many of them were harbored. The incident poisoned Anglo-French relations, leading to Vichy reprisals and a full-scale naval battle at Casablanca in 1942 when

4240-451: The collections of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, for which the construction had just started. On the second expedition, in 1899, the focus was on the hydrography and topography of Raudfjorden , on the north-western tip of Spitsbergen , of which a map was published. His efforts are acknowledged by the later naming of Albert I Land , which comprises the part of Spitsbergen west of Raudfjorden. The third trip, in 1906, meteorology

4320-415: The engagements of this time were the Battle of the Basque Roads , the Battle of Grand Port , the Mauritius campaign of 1809–11 , and the Battle of Lissa . After Napoleon's fall in 1815, the long era of Anglo-French rivalry on the seas began to close, and the Navy became more of an instrument for expanding the French colonial empire . Under King Charles X , the two nations' fleets fought side by side in

4400-402: The face of limitations set by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty . New additions included the heavy and fast Fantasque class "super- destroyers ", the Richelieu -class battleships, and the submarine Surcouf which was the largest and most powerful of its day. From the start of World War II , the Navy was involved in a number of operations, participating in the Battle of the Atlantic ,

4480-399: The first floor, A Sailor’s Career showcases the work of Prince Albert I. It includes the laboratory from L’Hirondelle , the first of Prince Albert's research yachts. Observations made there led to an understanding of the phenomenon of anaphylaxis , for which Dr Charles Richet received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1913. An aquarium in the basement of the museum presents

4560-441: The first seagoing ironclad warship nine years later. In 1863, the Navy launched Plongeur , the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanical power. In 1876, Redoutable became the first steel-hulled warship ever. In 1887, Dupuy de Lôme became the world's first armoured cruiser . During the latter part of the century, French officers developed the so-called Jeune École (Young School) theory that emphasized

4640-442: The inscription " Marine nationale ". Cardinal Richelieu personally supervised the Navy until his death in 1643. He was succeeded by his protégé, Jean Baptiste Colbert , who introduced the first code of regulations of the French Navy and established the original naval dockyards in Brest and Toulon . Colbert and his son, the Marquis de Seignelay , between them administered the Navy for twenty-nine years. During this century,

4720-457: The marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Alice, in 1902, they separated legally, without issue, though did not divorce. According to Anne Edwards ' book The Grimaldis of Monaco , this was due to the Princess's friendship with the composer Isidore de Lara . By the same token, the courtesan Caroline Otero, La Belle Otero , who had served him as a high class prostitute between 1893 and 1897, recalled Albert fondly in her memoirs and claimed that he

4800-474: The navy's Strategic Oceanic Force provide the backbone of the French nuclear deterrent . In addition the French Navy operates six light surveillance frigates and, as of 2024, five avisos (originally light corvettes now reclassified as patrol vessels). They undertake the navy's offshore patrol duties, the protection of French naval bases and territorial waters , and can also provide low-end escort capabilities to any oceangoing task force. The Navy also operates

4880-419: The only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the United States Navy , and one of two non-American vessels to use catapults to launch aircraft. Founded in the 17th century, the French Navy is one of the oldest navies still in continuous service, with precursors dating back to the Middle Ages. It has taken part in key events in French history, including the Napoleonic Wars and both world wars, and played

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4960-423: The principality's politics and economy. There was severe unemployment, as the principality lacked factories and farmland, and the casinos did not allow citizens to work there. On 5 January 1911, Prince Albert I granted Monaco a constitution , but the document had little real meaning in terms of reducing autocratic rule and was soon suspended by the Prince when World War I broke out. Also in 1911, Prince Albert created

5040-448: The public). The two highest ranks, vice-amiral d'escadre and amiral ( admiral ), are functions, rather than ranks. They are assumed by officers ranking vice-amiral ( vice admiral ). The only amiral de la flotte ( Admiral of the Fleet ) was François Darlan after he was refused the dignity of amiral de France ( Admiral of France ). Equivalent to the dignity of Marshal of France , the rank of amiral de France remains theoretical in

5120-472: The sea, towering over the sheer cliff face to a height of 279 feet (85.04 m). It took eleven years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone from La Turbie . During construction, the names of twenty well-known oceanographic research vessels personally selected by Prince Albert I were inscribed into the frieze of the museum's façade . 1883–85 Sverdrup's Canadian Arctic islands expedition (1898–1902) Amundsen's South Pole expedition (1910–12) In 1989,

5200-449: The throne of Monaco on the death of his father. That same year in Paris , on 30 October, he married the Dowager Duchess de Richelieu , née Marie Alice Heine (1858–1925). The American daughter of a New Orleans building contractor of German-Jewish descent, Alice Heine had married the Duc de Richelieu but had been widowed by age 21 and left with a young son, Armand. Her marriage to Prince Albert proved an equal blessing for him and

5280-413: The tiny principality of Monaco, since Alice brought a strong business acumen, well in advance of her youth. Having helped put her husband's principality on a sound financial footing, she would devote her energies to making Monaco one of Europe's great cultural centers, with an opera, theater, and a ballet under the direction of the famed Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev . Despite the initial success of

5360-439: The two components have been divided into the Naval Action Force (commanded by ALFAN) and the Antisubmarine Group (commanded by ALGASM). As of 2014, the largest French naval base is the military port of Toulon . Other major bases in metropolitan France are the Brest Arsenal and Île Longue on the Atlantic, and Cherbourg Naval Base on the English Channel. Overseas French bases include Fort de France and Degrad des Cannes in

5440-412: The use of small, cheap torpedo boats to destroy expensive battleships, coupled with long-range commerce raiders to attack an opponent's merchant fleet. The first seaplane , the French Fabre Hydravion , was flown in 1910, and the first seaplane carrier , Foudre , was christened in the following year. Despite that innovation, the general development of the French Navy slowed down in the beginning of

5520-496: The world-renowned Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. This includes an aquarium , a museum , and a library , with research facilities in Paris. He owned four, increasingly impressive research yachts, Hirondelle , Princesse Alice , Princesse Alice II and Hirondelle II . Accompanied by some of the world's leading marine scientists, he travelled the length and breadth of the Mediterranean, making numerous oceanographic studies, maps and charts. In 1896, on an oceanographic survey of

5600-440: Was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death in 1922. He devoted much of his life to oceanography , exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I made reforms on political, economic and social levels, bestowing a constitution on the principality in 1911. Born on 13 November 1848 in Paris, France , the son of Prince Charles III (1818–1889), and Countess Antoinette Ghislaine de Merode (1828–1864),

5680-459: Was added to the range of observations and surveys were pursued. The Prince also provided support for two other expeditions, that of the Scotsman, William Bruce , to Prins Karls Forland , and that of the Norwegian, Gunnar Isachsen , to northwestern Spitsbergen. His funding of the latter lead to regular Norwegian scientific expeditions on Svalbard, and in 1928 the foundation of the Norwegian Polar Institute . The Prince's fourth expedition in 1907,

5760-591: Was aimed at completing the results from the previous summer. Prince Albert also lent his support, either financially, or through gifts or loans of oceanographic instruments, to numerous Arctic and Antarctic explorers. The same year, he provided funds and support for the foundation of the Friends of the French National Museum of Natural History Society . In 1909 he joined the Société de Géographie and

5840-646: Was annulled by the Church on 3 January 1880, although a special provision was made by the Vatican to allow Louis to remain legitimate in the eyes of the Church. Civilly, the marriage was dissolved on 28 July 1880, by the Order of Prince Charles III. That same year, the former Princess of Monaco remarried in Florence, Italy, to a Hungarian nobleman, Prince Tassilo Festetics von Tolna . On 10 September 1889, Albert ascended

5920-628: Was based on the design of the British Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carrier recently constructed and launched for the British Royal Navy. However, the French programme had been delayed several times for budgetary reasons and the result was priority being given to the more exportable FREMM project. In April 2013 it was confirmed that the second aircraft carrier project would be abandoned due to defence cuts announced in

6000-464: Was crowned Emperor in 1804, he attempted to restore the Navy to a position that would enable his plan for an invasion of England. His dreams were dashed by the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where the British all but annihilated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet, a disaster that guaranteed British naval superiority throughout the Napoleonic Wars . Still, the Navy did not shrink from action: among

6080-545: Was eager to join the fray when France intervened in the American Revolutionary War . Though outnumbered everywhere, the French fleets held the British at bay for years until victory. After this conflict and the concomitant Anglo-French War (1778–1783) , the Navy emerged at a new height in its history. Major battles in these years include the Battle of the Chesapeake , the Battle of Cape Henry ,

6160-674: Was established in 1624 by Cardinal Richelieu , chief minister to King Louis XIII . During the French Revolution , la Marine Royale was formally renamed la Marine Nationale . Under the First French Empire and the Second French Empire , the navy was designated as the Imperial French Navy ( la Marine impériale française ). Institutionally, however, the navy has never lost its short familiar nickname, la Royale . The original symbol of

6240-501: Was no bigger than theirs, but were sufficiently impressed by its status as an independent principality. The couple married at Château de Marchais on 21 September 1869. Within a year of their marriage, the couple's only child (Louis) was born, but Mary disliked Monaco and found the Mediterranean too hot. While Albert was away fighting in the Franco-Prussian war, she left Monaco permanently. The couple divorced and their marriage

6320-425: Was not a virile man and suffered from erection difficulty . Princess Alice had La Belle Otero banned from the principality in 1897 for being seen with her husband. In March 1910, there were mass protests against his rule. The Monegasques demanded a constitution and a parliament to rein in the absolute monarch or else they would overthrow him and establish a republic. They were dissatisfied about French domination of

6400-412: Was succeeded by his son, Louis II . Prince Albert I of Monaco devoted much of his life to the study of the sea and oceans, and Monaco diplomats around the world forwarded scientific papers to him. At 22 years old, he embarked on a career in the then relatively new science of oceanography . Understanding the importance of the relationship between living creatures and their environment, he devised

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