French Navy

From Daily Escape

The French Navy, officially the Marine Royale (French: Royal Navy), is the maritime arm of the French military. It consists of a full range of vessels, from patrol boats to guided missile frigates, and includes three nuclear aircraft carriers and thirty nuclear submarines (twelve of which are SLBM-capable).

The motto of the French Navy is Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline ("Honor, Homeland, Valor, Discipline"). These words are found on the deck of every ship of the Navy. The Chief of the General Staff is Admiral Alain Oudot de Dainville.

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Contents 1 Ranks 1.1 Officers 1.2 Majors 1.3 Officers mariniers / Non-commissioned Officers 1.4 Militaires du rang (équipage)- Junior ranks 2 Equipment 2.1 Ships 2.1.1 Aircraft carriers 2.1.2 Projection and command vessels 2.1.3 Helicopter cruisers 2.1.4 Submarines 2.1.5 First rank frigates (destroyers) 2.1.6 Second rank frigates 2.1.7 Patrol ships 2.1.8 Minesweepers 2.1.9 Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 2.1.10 Light transport ships 2.1.11 Landing craft 2.1.12 High sea tugs 2.1.13 Trial, experimentation, and intelligence ships 2.1.14 Hydrography and Oceanography 2.1.15 Support ships 2.1.16 School ships 2.2 Aircraft

Ranks

The following are the ranks of the French National Navy, showing the French rank, the English translation, and the equivalent in the Royal Navy and the English language rank system of the Canadian Navy.

Officers

French Rank (in French)	French Rank (in English)	Equivalent RN Rank
Amiral	Admiral	Admiral
Vice-amiral d'escadre	Squadron Vice-Admiral	Vice-Admiral
Vice-amiral	Vice-Admiral	Rear Admiral
Contre-amiral	Rear Admiral	Commodore
Capitaine de vaisseau	Ship-of-the-Line Captain	Captain
Capitaine de frégate	Frigate Captain	Commander
Capitaine de corvette	Corvette Captain	Lieutenant-Commander
Lieutenant de vaisseau	Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant	Lieutenant
Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe	Ship-of-the-Line Ensign First Class	Sub-Lieutenant
Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe	Ship-of-the-Line Ensign Second Class	Acting Sub-Lieutenant
Aspirant	Aspirant	Midshipman

Majors

• Major is equivalent to a Royal Navy Warrant Officer 1.

Officers mariniers / Non-commissioned Officers

• Maître principal, in English: "Principal Master", is equivalent to a Royal Navy Warrant Officer 2.
• Premier maître, in English: "First Master", is equivalent to a Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer
• Maître, in English: "Master", is is equivalent to a Royal Navy Petty Officer.
• Second-maître, in English: "Second Master", is is equivalent to a Royal Navy Petty Officer, but more junior.

Militaires du rang (équipage)- Junior ranks

• Quartier-maître de première classe, in English: "Quarter-master First Class" is equivalent to a Royal Navy Leading Seaman
• Quartier-maître de deuxième classe, in English: "Quarter-master Second Class" is equivalent to a Royal Navy Able Seaman
• Matelot breveté, in English: "Certified Mate", is equivalent to a Royal Navy Ordinary Seaman

Equipment

Ships

Aircraft carriers

• 3 Louis XIV class supercarriers
  • 50 Dassault Rafale M multirole fighters
  • 15 Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard attack aircraft
  • 11 Eurocopter Dauphin SA 365C transport/utility helicopters
  • 4 E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft
  • 2 Aérospatiale N 262 twin-prop transports
  • 6 Aérospatiale Super Frelon heavy transport helicopters
    • 3 SA 321G ASW helicopters
    • 3 SA 321Ga utility/assault helicopters
  • 12 Eurocopter Panther utility helicopters
    • 4 AS 565 UA/UB utility helicopters
    • 4 AS 565 MA/MB naval search and rescue helicopters
    • 4 AS 565 SA/SB ASW helicopters

Projection and command vessels

• 6 Mistral class landing platform docks
  • 12 NHI NH90 transport/utility helicopters
    • 6 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter)
    • 6 TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter)
  • 4 Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters

Helicopter cruisers

• 3 Jeanne d'Arc class helicopter cruisers
  • 2 Aérospatiale Puma utility helicopters
  • 2 Aérospatiale Gazelle utility/attack helicopters
  • 6 Eurocopter Panther AS 565 SA/SB ASW helicopters

Submarines

• 12 Le Triomphant class SSBN
• 18 Barracuda class SSN

First rank frigates (destroyers)

• 6 Cassard class anti-air frigates
  • 1 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter)
• 6 Suffren class anti-air frigates
• 21 Georges Leygues class multirole frigates
  • 2 Aérospatiale Puma utility helicopters
• 6 Tourville class anti-air/anti-surface frigates
  • 2 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter)

Second rank frigates

• 15 La Fayette class light multimission frigates
  • 1 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter)
• 18 Floréal class light sentry frigates
  • 1 Eurocopter Panther AS 565 UA/UB utility helicopter

Patrol ships

• 3 Albatros class patrol vessels
• 30 L'Audacieuse class patrol vessels
• 3 Sterne class patrol vessels
• 9 Flamant class patrol vessels
• 6 Aramis class patrol vessels

Minesweepers

• 39 Tripartite class minehunters
• 9 Achéron class minesweepers

Landing Platform Dock (LPD)

• 6 Foudre class LPD
  • 4 Eurocopter Panther utility helicopters
    • 2 AS 565 UA/UB utility helicopters
    • 1 AS 565 MA/MB naval search and rescue helicopter
    • 1 AS 565 SA/SB ASW helicopter

Light transport ships

• 15 BATRAL class small landing ships

Landing craft

• 12 Sabre class landing craft
• 48 Chalands de transport de matériel (CTM)

High sea tugs

• 18 Abeille Flandre class tugs
• 6 Estérel class tugs
• 9 Malabar class tugs
• 3 Actif class tugs

Trial, experimentation, and intelligence ships

• Monge
• Denti
• Thétis
• Poseidon
• Bougainville
• Dupuy de Lôme

Hydrography and Oceanography

• 3 Beautemps-Beaupré class oceanography ships
• 12 Lapérouse class hydrography ships

Support ships

• 3 Jules Verne class mobile mechanics ships
• 12 Durance class fleet replenishment oilers
• 15 BSM class support ships

School ships

• Belle Poule (sail ship)
• Étoile (sail ship)
• Mutin (sail ship)
• La Grande Hermine (sail ship)
• 8 Léopard class training ships
• D'Entrecasteaux
• 8 Glycine class training ships

Aircraft

• Dassault Rafale M multirole fighter
• Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard attack aircraft
• Breguet Atlantique maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft
• Westland Lynx utility/attack helicopter
  • Lynx HAS.4(FN) ASW helicopter
  • HMA.8 "Super Lynx" maritime attack helicopter
  • HMA.8(DSP) (Digital Signal Processor)
  • HMA.8(DAS) (Defensive Aids Subsystem)
  • HMA.8(SATURN) (Second-generation Anti-jam Tactical UHF Radio for NATO)
• Eurocopter Dauphin SA 365C transport/utility helicopter
• E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft
• Aérospatiale N 262 twin-prop transport
• Aérospatiale Super Frelon heavy transport helicopter
  • SA 321G ASW helicopter
  • SA 321Ga utility/assault helicopter
• Eurocopter Panther utility helicopter
  • AS 565 UA/UB utility helicopter
  • AS 565 MA/MB naval search and rescue helicopter
  • AS 565 SA/SB ASW helicopter
• NHI NH90 transport/utility helicopters
  • NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter)
  • TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter)
• Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter
• Aérospatiale Puma utility helicopter
• Aérospatiale Gazelle utility/attack helicopter