Re: "Meanwhile the French navy, which will be far superior to the Royal Navy after the cuts, will announce before the April presidential elections that a new carrier will be built."
I hope it's better than the last one the French built:
"How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier"
"The new French nuclear carrier "Charles de Gaulle" has suffered from a seemingly endless string of problems since it was first conceived in 1986. The 40,000 ton ship has cost over four billion dollars so far and is slower than the steam powered carrier it replaced. Flaws in the "de Gaulle" have led it to using the propellers from it predecessor, the "Foch," because the ones built for "de Gaulle" never worked right and the propeller manufacturer went out of business in 1999. Worse, the nuclear reactor installation was done poorly, exposing the engine crew to five times the allowable annual dose of radiation. There were also problems with the design of the deck, making it impossible to operate the E-2 radar aircraft that are essential to defending the ship and controlling offensive operations. Many other key components of the ship did not work correctly, including several key electronic systems. The carrier has been under constant repair and modification. The "de Gaulle" took eleven years to build (1988-99) and was not ready for service until late 2000. It's been downhill ever since. The de Gaulle is undergoing still more repairs and modifications. The government is being sued for exposing crew members to dangerous levels of radiation."
[External Link]
So for the first time in hundreds of years (a few battles aside) the French navy will be superior. Huh. Weird things, ladies and gentlemen, weird things.
Oh and as for the new French carrier it's probably going to be the same as the proposed British ones which are quite nice.
I'm betting the 'De Gaulle' has a damn fine wine cellar though...;)
(Is radiation bad for wine?)
Looking forward to the first aircraft carrier with two sterns and no bow...
Posted at 2007-01-08 12:01:18 [PermaLink]