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122-617: The Trafalgar campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel , and so achieve a successful invasion of the United Kingdom . The plans were extremely complicated and proved to be impractical. Much of

244-625: A vice admiral stationed at Toulon , to escape from the British blockade, overcome the British fleet in the English Channel , and allow the planned invasion of Britain to take place. To draw off the British defences, Villeneuve was to sail to the West Indies , where it was planned that he would combine with the Spanish fleet and the French fleet from Brest and attack British possessions in

366-567: 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 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

488-403: A dozen ships. After 1805 the morale of the French navy was destroyed, while its continued blockade in port robbed it of efficiency and will. While Napoleon returned to the possibility of an invasion some years later, it was never with the same focus or determination. The failure of his navy to fulfil its objectives left him disillusioned, while the timidity of its commanders and the determination of

610-634: 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 the siege of Petropavlovsk and the Battle of Kinburn . The Navy

732-416: A hastily assembled blockade of British warships, initially commanded by Rear-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood , and from 27 September by Vice-Admiral Nelson, who had arrived from England to take command. He spent the following weeks preparing and refining his tactics for the anticipated battle and dining with his captains to ensure they understood his intentions. Nelson had devised a plan of attack that anticipated

854-683: 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 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

976-499: A homeward-bound convoy of 15 British merchant vessels escorted by the frigate HMS  Barbadoes and the sloop or schooner HMS  Netley . The two British warships managed to escape, but Villeneuve's fleet captured the entire convoy, valued at some five million pounds. Villeneuve then sent the prizes into Guadeloupe under the escort of the frigate Sirène . On 11 June Villeneuve set out for Europe with Nelson again in pursuit. On 22 July Villeneuve, now with twenty ships of

1098-413: A lightly defended convoy of British merchants, and captured several of them the following day. From them he discovered that Nelson had arrived at Barbados. A shocked Villeneuve decided to break off operations and head north and east again, back to Europe. The fleet got underway on 11 June, causing one of the army officers attached to the fleet, General Honoré Charles Reille to note We have been masters of

1220-543: A month behind owing to unfavourable winds. In the West Indies Villeneuve waited for a month at Martinique , but Admiral Ganteaume 's Brest fleet did not appear. Eventually Villeneuve was pressured by French army officers into beginning the planned attack on the British, but he succeeded only in recapturing the island fort of Diamond Rock off Martinique. On 7 June he learned that Nelson had reached Antigua . On 8 June he and his fleet were able to intercept

1342-432: 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 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

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1464-455: A new plan. The fleet at Brest under Ganteaume was to embark 3,000 troops and sail to Ferrol, where he would chase away Calder's blockading squadron and unite with the French and Spanish forces in the port under Gourdon and Grandallana. Having amassed a force of 33 ships of the line, six frigates and two storeships, they would sail to Martinique . Meanwhile, Villeneuve was to have embarked 3000 troops and sailed from Toulon. He would break out into

1586-527: A new strategy whereby his largely idle fleet could cause trouble for Britain. Villeneuve and Missiessy were ordered to embark troops and take their fleets to sea, where they would sail to the West Indies and attack the British possessions there. This would force the British to reallocate resources to defend them. Missiessy duly sailed from Rochefort on 11 January with five ships of the line, evaded Vice-Admiral Thomas Graves's blockading force and escaped into

1708-512: A pell-mell battle to develop in which the British ships could overwhelm and destroy parts of their opponents' formation, before the unengaged enemy ships could come to their aid. Napoleon, increasingly dissatisfied with Villeneuve's performance, ordered Vice-Admiral François Rosily to go to Cádiz and take command of the fleet, sail it into the Mediterranean to land troops at Naples , before making port at Toulon. Villeneuve decided to sail

1830-593: A possible fourth Mistral -class amphibious assault ship . The backbone of the fleet will be the Aquitaine -class FREMM anti-submarine frigates , replacing 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

1952-459: A short while, the French invasion force might succeed in crossing unmolested. The French aimed to achieve at least temporary control of the Channel, while the British aimed to prevent this at all costs. Napoleon proposed a total of four different strategies between July 1804 and March 1805, each with the object of collecting a large force of ships and moving up the Channel. Common elements included

2074-518: A tight blockade over the French Atlantic forces, consisting of 21 ships of the line at Brest under Vice-Admiral Ganteaume , three or four ships of the line at Rochefort, and four French ships of the line under Rear-Admiral Gourdon and eight Spanish ships of the line under Admiral Grandallana at Ferrol. Six Spanish ships of the line and one French one were in port at Cádiz, under the watchful eyes of Rear-Admiral John Orde and his five ships of

2196-600: 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 a maritime force of patrol boats that falls under the operational command of the French Navy: During most of the Cold War, the Navy

2318-497: 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 the latter 2030s. Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve (31 December 1763 – 22 April 1806) was a French Navy officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . He

2440-630: 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 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

2562-517: The Cassard class . DCNS has shown a FREMM-ER concept to meet this requirement, emphasising ballistic missile defence with 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,

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2684-684: 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 , the Norwegian Campaign , the Dunkirk evacuation and, briefly, the Battle of the Mediterranean . However, after the fall of France in June 1940,

2806-585: 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, 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

2928-542: The Balearic Islands , he might avoid the patrolling British. In reality Nelson was preparing a trap, and having allowed himself to be observed off the Spanish coast, had withdrawn to a position south of Sardinia, hoping that in attempting to avoid the supposed location of the British fleet, Villeneuve would sail straight into them. Villeneuve put to sea on 30 March, observed by the British frigates Active and Phoebe , and as Nelson hoped, set course to sail between

3050-508: 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 the Battle of Navarino , and throughout the rest of

3172-702: 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 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,

3294-479: 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 the first seagoing ironclad warship nine years later. In 1863, the Navy launched Plongeur ,

3416-528: The French Revolution , dropping the nobiliary particle from his name, and was able to continue his service in the Navy when other aristocratic officers were purged. He served during several battles, and was promoted to rear admiral in 1796 as a result of this. At the Battle of the Nile in 1798 he was in command of the rear division. His ship, Guillaume Tell , was one of only two French ships of

3538-647: 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 was crowned Emperor in 1804, he attempted to restore

3660-580: The La Fayette class, three of which are being upgraded with new sonars to operate into the early 2030s. With respect to support ships, 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

3782-541: 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 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

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3904-799: 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 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

4026-547: 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 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

4148-528: The 36-gun frigate HMS  Phoenix , some forty miles of Cape Ortegal . They gave chase, but the Phoenix lured them towards a squadron of five ships of the line under Captain Sir Richard Strachan . Strachan led his ships in pursuit, coming in range and opening the attack on 4 November, despite one of his ships of the line not being with the squadron. Using his frigates to harass and wear down

4270-507: The 74-gun Algésiras and Achille , carrying 850 soldiers between them. c. Both were Spanish vessels, the 80-gun San Rafael and the 74-gun Firme . d. Calder was court-martialled for his failure to 'do his utmost' to renew the engagement. He missed Trafalgar to attend, was found guilty and severely reprimanded. He never received another active command. e. See Trafalgar order of battle and casualties for more details. French Navy Founded in

4392-476: The Atlantic, and having collected another seven ships of the line from Cádiz, he would sail to the rendezvous in the West Indies. The three fleets—Ganteaume's 33 ships of the line; Missiessy's five ships of the line, if they were still in the area; and Villeneuve's 11 ships of the line—would unite and sail back across the Atlantic. Sweeping away any resistance, they would then cover the invasion flotilla. Ganteaume had got his fleet ready for sea by 24 March, but Brest

4514-457: The Atlantic. Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane took his forces in pursuit, and both fleets sailed to the West Indies. Villeneuve finally sailed from Toulon on 18 January, heading into the teeth of a gale. Their departure was noted by the patrolling British frigates HMS  Seahorse and HMS  Active , who rushed to report the news to Nelson, anchored at La Maddalena . Nelson immediately rushed his fleet to sea, determining that considering

4636-591: The Balearic Islands and Sardinia. The frigates lost sight of the French fleet on 1 April, the same day that Villeneuve came across a Spanish merchant, and learnt that Nelson had been sighted off Sardinia. Realising that he was sailing into an ambush, Villeneuve turned west, passing to the west of the Balearics. With no visual contact with the French, Nelson was left in the dark as to their intentions. Villeneuve pressed on to Cartagena, but did not dare wait for

4758-462: 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 , the Battle of Grenada , the invasion of Dominica , and three separate Battles of Ushant . Within less than a decade, however, the Navy

4880-474: The British colonies in the West Indies. He was then to sail his entire force back to Europe, join Ganteaume at Brest and cover the invasion flotilla. The orders also noted that Nelson had sailed to Egypt in search of him. In fact Nelson was by now only two days away from Barbados, where he would anchor on 4 June. Villeneuve gathered his forces and pressed northwards towards Antigua, but on 7 June he came across

5002-514: The British fleet, attempted to attack the French frigate Siréne , trailing in the rear. Fearing the British were attempting to cut off his rear, Villeneuve brought his fleet about and the Spanish van opened fire on the leading British ships at about 5.30 pm. The action quickly became general, but in the failing light, mist and gunsmoke both fleets soon became scattered. By the time the action broke off at 9.30 pm, two Spanish ships had been isolated and captured. Both fleets were still scattered

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5124-532: The British to resist them, both factors clearly expressed at various stages throughout the Trafalgar campaign, left the navy with a lack of purpose and direction. a. Not of all of the ships saw action at any one time, or at all, but represent the strength of the main fleets positioned in European waters. Frigates and smaller vessels are not included. b. The ships arriving with Magon were

5246-614: The Caribbean without orders, he was finally persuaded by the Governor of Martinique to attack the British-held Diamond Rock after two weeks of sitting idle at anchor. The small garrison surrendered on 2 June , by which time the frigate Didon had arrived with orders. Villeneuve was instructed to await the arrival of two extra ships under Rear-Admiral René Magon , and then spend a month attacking and capturing

5368-724: The Caribbean, before returning across the Atlantic to destroy the British Channel squadrons and escort the Armée d'Angleterre from their camp at Boulogne to victory in England . After an abortive expedition in January, Villeneuve finally left Toulon on 29 March 1805 with eleven ships of the line . He evaded Nelson's blockade, passed the Strait of Gibraltar on 8 April and crossed the Atlantic with Nelson's fleet in pursuit, but about

5490-573: The Channel to Boulogne and effect the third and final part of the plan, the invasion of England. This plan, dependent on the weather, the non-interference of the British and subject to the vagaries of communication over thousands of miles of ocean verged on the impossible. The plan was never attempted, as the British intercepted the orders sent to Ganteaume, and the project was called off. The strategic situation in Europe had altered considerably by January 1805. The Spanish had allied with France, but Napoleon

5612-496: The Channel. On 10 August off Cape Finesterre HMS  Phoenix under Captain Thomas Baker captured the French 40-gun frigate Didon . Didon was carrying despatches instructing Rear-Admiral Allemand's five ships of the line to unite with the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under Villeneuve. While sailing to Gibraltar with his prize in tow, Baker fell in with the 74-gun HMS  Dragon on 14 August. The following day

5734-583: The Crown Inn public house and his men, who numbered 200, stayed in local houses. He was allowed to attend the funeral of Lord Nelson whilst at Bishop's Waltham. Freed in late 1805, he returned to France, where he attempted to go back into military service, but his requests were not answered. On 22 April 1806, he was found dead at the Hôtel de la Patrie in Rennes with five stab wounds in the left lung and one in

5856-475: 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 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

5978-534: The French a fleet of 15 ships of the line and 5,000 men. With this force they would capture Surinam and raid other Dutch and British possessions , before sailing back across the Atlantic. While this was taking place Ganteaume and his 21 ships of the line carrying 18,000 troops were to have sailed from Brest on 23 November, passed through the English Channel and into the North Sea, and then sailed around

6100-456: The French departure, but having failed to make contact with them off Sardinia, was reduced to combing the area with his frigates for any news of them. After having finally determined that the entire force must have left the Mediterranean he himself beat through the straits, where he received confirmation on 8 May from one of Orde's ships that the French had sailed through the straits a month earlier, and had not headed north. Convinced that Villeneuve

6222-501: The French he turned westward, calling at Malta on 19 February, where he received news that the French were back in Toulon. Villeneuve had in fact turned to port just two days after setting out, forced back by the weather and the inability of his ships and sailors to cope with it. The error of the frigates leaving the fleet unobserved when they had rushed to report to Nelson meant that he had spent nearly six weeks sailing back and forth across

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6344-491: 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 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

6466-656: The Mediterranean through heavy seas while the French remained in port. A frustrated Nelson returned to resume the blockade. The French Navy was largely confined to port, blockaded by various fleets and commands of the Royal Navy, while the main invasion force of 93,000 men in four Army corps waited in Boulogne . A combined French and Dutch squadron of nine ships of the line were quartered in the Netherlands , covered by Admiral Lord Keith's Downs squadron of 11 ships of

6588-490: The Minister of Marine, "Villeneuve does not possess the strength of character to command a frigate. He lacks determination and has no moral courage.") Before his replacement could arrive, Villeneuve gave the order to sail on 18 October. Inexperienced crews and the difficulties of getting out of Cádiz meant that it took two days to get all 34 ships out of port and into some kind of order. On 21 October 1805 Villeneuve learned of

6710-540: 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 the engagements of this time were the Battle of the Basque Roads ,

6832-492: 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 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

6954-552: 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 was eager to join the fray when France intervened in the American Revolutionary War . Though outnumbered everywhere, the French fleets held

7076-506: The Spanish ships there after they declined to join him until orders from Madrid arrived. Instead he hurried on, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar on 8 April, observed by the British squadron under Sir John Orde . From Cádiz Villeneuve collected the French 74-gun Aigle and set off across the Atlantic to the West Indies, followed by six Spanish ships of the line and a frigate under Federico Gravina . Nelson meanwhile had been alerted of

7198-598: The Straits as Nelson had predicted, but were instead likely to arrive in the Bay of Biscay. The despatches and news of the latest sighting were rushed to Lord Barham at the Admiralty, who instructed a reinforced fleet under Vice-Admiral Robert Calder to attempt to intercept the combined fleet as it arrived off Cape Finisterre. Calder duly received an extra five ships of the line under Rear-Admiral Charles Stirling and on 22 July

7320-551: The West Indies, but without making contact with each other. Napoleon recalled Missiessy once it became clear the Villeneuve had remained trapped in Toulon, and Missiessey began to voyage back to France on 28 March. March 1805 brought a significant development for Napoleon, an assurance from the Austrians that they did not plan to make war on France. Napoleon resolved to return to his scheme for the invasion of Britain, and drew up

7442-504: The allied fleet would form up in a traditional line of battle . Drawing on his own experience from the Nile and Copenhagen , and the examples of Duncan at Camperdown and Rodney at the Saintes , Nelson decided to split his fleet into squadrons rather than forming it into a similar line parallel to the enemy. These squadrons would then cut the enemy's line in a number of places, allowing

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7564-454: The army, both capitaine and commandant are ranks, which tends to stir some confusion among 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

7686-408: 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 ) 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

7808-419: 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 the Battle of Veracruz . Beginning in 1845,

7930-416: The coast of Scotland. They would arrive at Lough Swilly on the north coast of Ireland and land the troops. While a full-scale invasion of Ireland was under way Ganteaume would sail around the west coast of Ireland, arriving in the Western Approaches in time to meet Villeneuve and Missiessy's forces returning from the West Indies. With a combined force of nearly 40 ships of the line, the French would sweep up

8052-482: The combined French and Spanish fleets were kept under blockade by Nelson. In September, Villeneuve was ordered to sail for Naples and attack British shipping in the Mediterranean, but he was initially unwilling to move and continued in blatant disregard of superior orders. In mid-October he learned that Napoleon was about to replace him as commanding officer with François Étienne de Rosily-Mesros and order him to Paris to account for his actions. (Napoleon had written to

8174-420: The combined fleet under Villeneuve, heading for Brest and then on to Boulogne to escort the French invasion forces across the Channel, sighted the three British ships. Villeneuve mistook the British ships for scouts from the Channel Fleet and fled south to Cadiz to avoid an action. A furious Napoleon raged 'What a Navy! What an admiral! All those sacrifices for nought!' Finisterre and Villeneuve's retreat became

8296-420: The country date back to the era of New France . Musical units were primarily attached to the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and 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

8418-456: The decisive action of the campaign as far as the invasion of England went, for abandoning all hope of fulfilling his plans to secure control of the Channel Napoleon gathered the Armée d'Angleterre, now renamed the Grande Armée , which then left its camps along the Channel coast on 27 August to march east for the Upper Danube valley (via Bavaria) to attack the Austrians in the Ulm Campaign . Villeneuve's fleet underwent repairs in Cádiz, covered by

8540-473: The decoying away of Cornwallis. The plan was never put into operation. Latouche Tréville remained at Toulon rather than risk an encounter with Nelson, and died suddenly on 19 August, putting an end to the scheme. The revised invasion plan after the death of Latouche Tréville was considerably more ambitious, and consisted of three distinct operations. Latouche Tréville's successor at Toulon, Vice-Admiral Villeneuve , would board 5,600 troops and sail his 10 ships of

8662-439: The decoying of some or all of the blockading Royal Navy fleets away from the Channel, the combining of the French fleets to lift the blockade of any ships that remained trapped in port, and the advancing of the fleet up the Channel to Boulogne, where they would escort the invasion force across. Napoleon's first plan, put forward in May 1804 for execution between July and September envisaged the break-out from Toulon of 10 ships of

8784-409: The detail was due to the personal intervention of Napoleon , who as a soldier rather than a sailor failed to consider the effects of weather, difficulties in communication, and the Royal Navy. Despite limited successes in achieving some elements of the plan the French commanders were unable to follow the main objective through to execution. The campaign, which took place over thousands of miles of ocean,

8906-657: The dignity of Marshal of France , the rank of amiral de France remains theoretical in 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

9028-540: The enemy fleet under the guns of French shore batteries, and chose to merely observe and blockade Ganteaume. The following day the wind changed, allowing Ganteaume to return to port, where he spent the rest of the campaign. Villeneuve and his second in command, Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley , hurried to ready the Toulon-based fleet for departure. Nelson had been spotted near Barcelona and Villeneuve hoped that by sailing due south from Toulon and passing east of

9150-401: The enemy fleet was sighted heading westwards towards Ferrol. Calder then moved south to intercept, while Villeneuve assembled his force into the line of battle and began moving north. The two fleets moved slowly past each other, before Calder came about by tacking in succession and began to close on the enemy's rear. The action eventually began when the frigate HMS  Sirius , in the van of

9272-407: The enemy while avoiding their broadsides, Strachan used his larger ships to attack the enemy's rear and centre. He was eventually able to surround the French ships, and after four hours of close fighting all of the French ships were forced to surrender. By early November the combined fleet had been practically destroyed. Two ships of the line had been lost at Finisterre, twenty-one at Trafalgar and in

9394-483: The ensuing storm, and four at Cape Ortegal. No British ships had been lost in these engagements. Many of those that had survived in French or Spanish hands were badly damaged and would not be ready for service for some time. The British victory gave them unchallenged supremacy of the seas, securing British trade and sustaining the Empire . The continued failure of Napoleon to marshal his navies as he did his armies meant that

9516-503: The first Army of England gathering on the Channel coast in 1798. Napoleon's concentration on campaigns in Egypt and Austria, and the Peace of Amiens caused these plans to be shelved in 1802. The resumption of hostilities in 1803 led to their revival, and forces were gathered outside Boulogne in large military camps in preparation for the assembling of the invasion flotilla. The Royal Navy was

9638-785: 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, 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

9760-410: 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 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

9882-697: 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: 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

10004-523: 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 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 ,

10126-476: The fleet out before his successor arrived. On 20 October the fleet was sighted making its way out of harbour by patrolling British frigates, and Nelson was informed that they appeared to be headed to the west. Nelson led his column of ships into battle aboard HMS Victory , and succeeded in cutting the line and causing the pell-mell battle he desired to break out. After several hours of fighting 17 French and Spanish ships had been captured and another destroyed, without

10248-494: The following day. They continued to observe each other, but neither made an attempt to resume the action, and despite more favourable winds on 24 July, Calder declined to give battle. By 25 July the fleets had drifted out of sight of each other, at which point Villeneuve sailed south to Vigo , while Calder headed east. Both admirals claimed a victory, with Villeneuve assuring Napoleon that he intended to sail north to rendezvous with Allemand's force from Rochefort , before heading to

10370-485: The gale, while a fourth was captured by the British, but later wrecked. The British fleet and the surviving French prizes put into Gibraltar over the next few days. Though the combined fleet had been decisively crushed at Trafalgar, the final action of the campaign was fought nearly a fortnight later, on 4 November. Four French ships under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley had escaped Trafalgar and headed north, hoping to reach Rochefort. On 2 November they came across

10492-410: The heart. He had left a farewell letter to his wife. A verdict of suicide was recorded. The nature of his death ensured that this verdict was much mocked in the British press of the time and suspicions abounded that Napoleon had secretly ordered Villeneuve's murder. The question of whether Villeneuve committed suicide has been a source of contention among historians ever since. His name is etched on

10614-461: The invasion of England never occurred. Already postponed several times, Villeneuve's defeat at Finisterre and his final failure to link up with the Rochefort and Brest fleets caused Napoleon to abandon his plans in favour of a march eastward. Trafalgar, with its 74 ships, became the last clash of its scale of the Napoleonic Wars ; from then on the largest engagements were fought between no more than

10736-576: The island from the British, before returning northwards to land at Senegal and stir up trouble in West Africa. Meanwhile, Rear-Admiral Missiessy was to sail from Rochefort on 1 November with six ships of the line and 3,500 troops. Having evaded the British blockade he would sail to the West Indies, reinforce the French garrisons at Martinique and Guadeloupe and capture the British colonies of Dominica and St Lucia . Having achieved this Villeneuve and Missiessy would unite and combine forces, giving

10858-645: 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 the Americas; Port des Galets and Dzaoudzi in the Indian Ocean; and Nouméa and Papeete in the Pacific. In addition,

10980-499: The line and 11 frigates under Admiral Latouche Tréville . They would evade the patrolling British fleet under Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson and sail into the Atlantic, slipping past Alexander Cochrane 's fleet off Ferrol and entering the Bay of Biscay . They would then make for Rochefort where they would be joined by another six ships of the line. While this was taking place Vice-Admiral Ganteaume would sail from Brest with 23 ships of

11102-484: The line and head out into the Atlantic, hopefully drawing the main British Channel Fleet under Admiral William Cornwallis after them. Latouche Tréville would then have a clear run into the Channel and up to Boulogne, where he would escort the invasion fleet safely across. The plan was complicated and depended on the unlikely events of favourable weather, the avoidance of Cochrane's and Nelson's fleets and

11224-423: The line and seven frigates, passed Cape Finisterre on the northwest coast of Spain and entered the Bay of Biscay . Here he met a British fleet of fifteen ships of the line commanded by Vice Admiral Sir Robert Calder . In the ensuing Battle of Cape Finisterre , a confused action in bad visibility, the British, though outnumbered, were able to cut off and capture two Spanish ships. For two days Villeneuve shadowed

11346-483: The line into the Mediterranean on 21 October. Having evaded Nelson he would collect the Aigle from Cádiz and pass through the Strait of Gibraltar , after which he would detach two ships carrying 1,800 troops. He would then head to the West Indies with the rest of his force, while the two detached ships were assigned to fulfil one of the three operations included in the plan. They would sail to Saint Helena and capture

11468-461: The line to escape the defeat. He was captured soon afterwards when the British took the island of Malta , but he was soon released. He was criticised for not engaging the British at the Nile, but Napoleon considered him a "lucky man" and his career was not affected. His treatment by the British was not bad, but led to him describing them as 'gobelins gras' (lit. ' greasy goblins' ) in a letter to his family. In 1804, Napoleon ordered Villeneuve, now

11590-530: The line, with another six Spanish ships of line located at Cartagena under Admiral Salcedo. The French naval base at Toulon was home to 11 French ships of the line under Vice-Admiral Villeneuve, who was being kept bottled up by the 12 ships of the line of the Mediterranean Fleet under Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson. Each commander had a number of frigates, sloops and brigs at their disposal. Further afield, Missiessy, pursued by Cochrane, sailed around

11712-568: The line. Neither squadron took part in the campaign. The main Channel Fleet , patrolling between Ushant and the Irish coast under Admiral William Cornwallis and his deputy Vice-Admiral Charles Cotton , consisted of 15 ships of the line, with detached squadrons of five ships of the line under Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves blockading Rochefort , and eight ships of the line under Vice-Admiral Robert Calder blockading Ferrol . They were maintaining

11834-493: The loss of a single British ship. Nelson was among the 449 British dead, having been mortally wounded by a French sharpshooter during the battle. Nine of the prizes were later scuttled or sunk in a storm that blew up the following day. A sortie led by some of the ships that managed to escape under Julien Cosmao managed to recapture the Spanish Santa Ana , but in doing so he lost three more of his ships, wrecked in

11956-492: The main obstacle to a successful invasion, but Napoleon declared that his fleet need only be masters of the Channel for six hours and the crossing could be effected. Though the intended departure points were known and were being closely blockaded by the Royal Navy, First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Melville was short of ships. If a combined Franco-Spanish fleet were to force the Navy from its station for even

12078-573: 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 was based on the design of the British Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carrier recently constructed and launched for the British Royal Navy. However,

12200-459: 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 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

12322-519: 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 the Royal Navy until the end of the war. In the Pacific theatre as well, Free French vessels operated until the Japanese capitulation; Richelieu

12444-498: 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 the face of limitations set by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty . New additions included the heavy and fast Fantasque class "super- destroyers ",

12566-515: 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 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

12688-436: The retreating British, but did not seek a battle. Instead he sailed to A Coruña , arriving on 1 August. Here he received orders from Napoleon to sail to Brest and Boulogne as planned. Instead, perhaps believing a false report of a superior British fleet in the Bay of Biscay, and against the Spanish commanders' objections, he sailed away back to Cádiz , rendering Napoleon's planned invasion of Britain wholly impossible. At Cádiz

12810-588: The sea for three weeks with a landing force of 7000 to 8000 men and have not been able to attack a single island. Nelson had arrived at Barbados on 4 June, where he received fragmentary reports that the French had been seen a week earlier, sailing southwards. Nelson set off in pursuit, but the information was wrong, Villeneuve and his fleet were north of Barbados and heading farther north with each day. A series of mistaken sightings, deliberate misinformation, and sheer coincidence kept Nelson heading south until 8 June, when more concrete information reached him that Villeneuve

12932-571: 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 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

13054-624: The size of the British fleet, and turned back to Cádiz, but the combined fleets were intercepted by Nelson off Cape Trafalgar . Nelson, though outnumbered, won the Battle of Trafalgar , and Villeneuve's flagship Bucentaure was captured along with many other French and Spanish ships. The British sent Villeneuve to England in the Euryalus but released him on parole ; during this time he lived in Bishop's Waltham in Hampshire . He stayed at

13176-736: The south and missed them. He eventually arrived at Gibraltar on 19 July, after which he sailed his fleet to join the Channel Fleet under Cornwallis, before taking the Victory into [Portsmouth]. Nelson had sent despatches back to the Admiralty aboard the brig HMS  Curieux . While sailing across the Atlantic Curieux had, on 19 June, spotted the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, sailing northwards from Antigua. Curieux shadowed them, and determined that they were not heading for

13298-613: 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 the Navy were conducted during the Dardanelles Campaign . In December 1916, during the Noemvriana events, French warships also bombarded Athens, trying to force

13420-608: 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, the Navy helped wage the Tonkin Campaign which included the Battle of Thuận An , and it later participated in

13542-506: The weather and the fact the French had embarked troops, that Villeneuve was heading east, perhaps to attack locations on the Italian coast, or the islands of Malta or Sardinia, or maybe even Greece or Egypt. He rushed south, hoping to intercept them south of Sardinia, but when they had not appeared by 25 January, he worried that he had missed them, and pressed further east, calling at Greece and then Alexandria on 7 February. Finding no news of

13664-560: Was being closely blockaded by Vice-Admiral Cotton's 17 ships of the line. Ganteaume had orders to avoid battle, and waited until conditions seemed favourable on 26 March, when a fog came down that would help him to slip past the British. But as he made his way out the weather changed suddenly, blowing away the fog and making it difficult to return to the anchorage. Temporarily trapped outside the port Ganteaume reluctantly prepared for battle as Cotton's force approached. Cotton did not however risk an engagement with night closing, many shoals and with

13786-425: Was concerned about Austria and Russia, who appeared to be in negotiations with Britain. The danger of committing most of his forces across the Channel, from where they could not easily be recalled, had become clear to him. Should a combined Russian and Austrian force open a second front to the east, Napoleon would be hard pressed to deal with it. He decided to temporarily put his plans for invasion on hold, and developed

13908-595: 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 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

14030-713: 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 a fourth Battle of Ushant (known in English as the Glorious First of June ), the Battle of Groix , the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 ,

14152-528: Was headed for the West Indies Nelson set off in pursuit. Villeneuve arrived at Fort de France , Martinique on 14 May, and was joined over the next two days by the Spanish under Gravina. Having resupplied, he settled in to await the arrival of Ganteaume, who unbeknownst to him was still sitting blockaded in Brest. Initially reluctant to undertake any large scale assaults on the British possessions in

14274-836: 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 a rapid pace that it was superfluous. Isolated engagements between French and German ships took place in other theaters, but

14396-547: Was in command of a French and Spanish fleet which was defeated by the British Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Villeneuve was born in 1763 at Valensole , and joined the French Navy in 1779. He took part in naval operations in the American Revolutionary War , serving as an ensign on Marseillais , in de Grasse's fleet. Despite his aristocratic ancestry, he sympathised with

14518-444: Was marked by several naval engagements, most significantly at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, where the combined fleet was decisively defeated, and from which the campaign takes its name. A final mopping up action at the Battle of Cape Ortegal on 4 November completed the destruction of the combined fleet, and secured the supremacy of the Royal Navy at sea. Napoleon had been planning an invasion of England for some time, with

14640-451: Was north of his position, and heading towards Antigua. He finally reached Antigua on 12 June, and learnt that Villeneuve had passed by the day before, headed for Europe. Nelson left in pursuit on 13 June, anticipating that his quarry would make either for Cádiz, or would attempt to re-enter the Mediterranean. Villeneuve was in fact heading for Ferrol, and by hoping to catch them at sea before they could make port, Nelson set his course too far to

14762-563: 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, the two components have been divided into the Naval Action Force (commanded by ALFAN) and the Antisubmarine Group (commanded by ALGASM). As of 2014,

14884-827: 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 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

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