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French Navy
Sign in to saveAlso known as La Royale, National Navy, na France, navy of France, Marine nationale, France navy
maritime arm of the French Armed Forces
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, French Navy is referenced by 8,223 other articles, and connects out to Suffren-class submarine, vice admiral and Grumman E-2 Hawkeye.
It is catalogued under topics including French Navy and Military of France.
Its subject is documented across 44 Wikipedia language editions.
Key facts
- Founded
- 1626 ; 400 years ago ( 1626 )
- Country
- France
- Type
- Navy
- Role
- Naval warfare
- Size
- 40,000+ personnel (2025) and 7,000 civilians (2021), 180 ships , 178 aircraft FAN FSM AVIA FORFUSCO Marins Pompiers Gendarmerie Maritime Service de soutien de la Flotte
- Garrison hq
- Main: Brest , Île Longue , Toulon , Secondary: Cherbourg-en-Cotentin , Lorient , French overseas territories: Fort de France , Degrad des Cannes , Port des Galets , Dzaoudzi , Nouméa , Papeete , Overseas: Dakar , Djibouti , Abu Dhabi
- Nickname
- La Royale
- Mottos
- Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline , ("Honour, homeland, valour, discipline")
- Colours
- Blue, white, red
- Ships
- Current fleet
- Website
- defense.gouv.fr/marine
- Chief of the armed forces
- President Emmanuel Macron
- Chef d tat major de la marine cemm
- Amiral Nicolas Vaujour
- Major g n ral de la marine
- Vice-amiral d'escadre Stanislas Gourlez de la Motte
- Notable commanders
- See list: Louis Victor de Rochechouart, Duke of Vivonne Anne Hilarion de Tourville Jean Bart Claude de Forbin François Joseph Paul de Grasse Pierre André de Suffren Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois Guy-Victor Duperré Henri de Rigny Amédée Courbet
- Insignia
- Ranks in the French Navy
- Attack
- Rafale M
- Electronic warfare
- E-2 Hawkeye
via Wikipedia infobox
Research organization · ROR
- Type
- Government
- Founded
- 1624
- Location
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- French Navy
- Status
- Active
ISNI 0000 0001 2104 2486
Wikidata facts
- Motto
- Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline
Show 6 more facts
- Commons gallery
- French Navy
- inception
- 1624-00-00
- P6413
- French Navy
- Commons category
- French Navy
- social media followers
- 49200
- pseudonym
- La Royale
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~31 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The French Navy 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 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 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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “French Navy” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.