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{{French Navy}}
[[File:Marine FRENCH NAVY UNIFORMS naval soldiers sailors officers etc c 1690-1930. Public domain illustration Larousse du XXème siècle 1932.jpg|thumb|Uniforms of French naval officers and sailors from 1690 to 1930.]]
Although the '''history of the [[French Navy]]''' goes back to the Middle Ages, its history can be said to effectively begin with [[Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]] under [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]].

Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on the naval level: 
*Geographically France had two large sections of coastline separated by the [[Iberian Peninsula]] (Spain and Portugal), so she had to keep two naval forces and divide resources between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
*Politically and strategically France's main threats came overland from [[Central Europe]] which required a strong army rather than a strong navy.
*Inconsistent support for her navy.  To be effective, navies require infrastructure, ports, dockyards, foundries which must be maintained in peacetime. Officers and crews need plenty of experience at sea. Shortage of resources and political misunderstanding repeatedly damaged the service, creating a series of brilliant eras followed by disasters.

The history of the French Navy can be divided into the following eras:
*The creation of the first actual State Navy, under Louis XIII, thanks to the politics of Richelieu. This navy was largely ruined by the troubles of the [[Fronde]].
*A rebuilt and brilliant era under [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], largely thanks to [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]]. The effort was not pursued under the [[Régence]] of [[Philippe II, Duke of Orléans|Philippe d'Orléans]] and the beginning of the reign of [[Louis XV of France|Louis XV]]; consequently, the [[Seven Years' War]] and the [[French and Indian War]] ended in disaster.
*A period of rebirth under the impulsion of [[Étienne François, duc de Choiseul|Choiseul]], which culminated under [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]] with [[François Joseph Paul de Grasse|de Grasse]]'s victory at the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] during the [[France in the American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]]. In the same period, explorers like [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville|Bougainville]] expanded French geography, naval maps, and founded outposts. The downfall occurred during the [[French Revolution]] and the [[First French Empire|First Empire]], leaving the British with undisputed [[Command of the sea|control of the seas]].
*Under [[Napoleon III]], a modern navy was built, taking advantage of new technologies like steam and ship armour, which made older fleets effectively obsolete. This force was an important instrument in the constitution and keeping of the French Empire. The fleet maintained a high standard, and between the two world wars (1925–1939), a significant effort was made counter the threat of the German and Italian navies. With the [[Fall of France]] in 1940, most of the Navy never got a chance to fight. What survived [[Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir|Mers-el-Kebir]] was eventually annihilated in the [[scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon]].

==Name==
The French Navy is affectionately known as ''La Royale'' ("the Royal"). The reason for this nickname is uncertain. Speculation includes: it might be for its traditional attachment to the [[French monarchy]]; because, before being named "nationale", the Navy had been named "royale" (the navy did not sport the royal titles common with other European navies like the British [[Royal Navy]]); or simply because of the location of its headquarters,  ''[[Rue Royale, Paris|rue Royale]]'' in Paris.

==Middle Ages==
[[File:Battle of Arnemuiden.jpg|thumb|right|The French fleet (right) in the [[Battle of Arnemuiden]] during the [[Hundred Years' War]]]]

Medieval fleets, in France as elsewhere, were almost entirely composed of merchant ships enlisted into naval service in time of war. But the early beginning of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, when it defeated the [[English Navy]] at the [[Battle of Arnemuiden]],<ref>Jean-Claude Castex, [https://books.google.com/books?id=U9tChhhw62AC&dq=%2223+septembre+1338%22+%22bataille+navale%22&pg=PA18 ''Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaises''], Presses de l'Université Laval, 2004, p. 21</ref> on 23 September 1338. The Battle of Arnemuiden was also the first naval battle using artillery.<ref>Jean-Claude Castex, [https://books.google.com/books?id=U9tChhhw62AC&dq=%2223+septembre+1338%22+%22bataille+navale%22&pg=PA18 ''Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaises''], Presses de l'Université Laval, 2004, p. 21</ref> The most notable naval battle involving the French was the severe defeat they suffered at [[Battle of Sluys|Sluys]], losing almost 200 ships and up to 20,000 killed while the English lost only 2 ships and 600 men.

== Louis XIII and Richelieu ==
{{cquote|The tears of our sovereigns have the salted taste of the sea that they ignored.<ref>« Les larmes de nos souverains ont le goût salé de la mer qu'ils ont ignorée ».</ref>|author=[[Cardinal Richelieu]]}}
[[File:Een oorlogsschip, in 1626 op last van Lodewijk XIII op een Hollandse werf gebouwd, stevent onder geleide van een Hollands schip een Hollandse haven binnen (Jacob Gerritz. Loef).jpg|thumb|A warship, built in 1626 on orders of [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]] in a Dutch yard, arriving in a Dutch port under guidance of a Dutch ship, [[Jacob Gerritsz Loef]]]]
During the reign of [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]], France was in an unstable state, and striving to guarantee her independence from Spanish and papal influences. This prompted both an emphasis on land forces, which drained resources, and an alliance with England, which would have unfavourably seen France challenging her naval supremacy.

When Richelieu became Minister of the Navy, he decided on a plan to rebuild a powerful navy, divided into two distinct forces.

The Mediterranean force was to be completely composed of [[galley]]s, to take advantage of the relatively calm sea. Initially, the plan called for 40 galleys, but was downsized to 24 of them, notably because of a lack of [[galley slave]]s — each galley was 400 or 500 slave strong.

The oceanic force was to be composed of [[man-of-war|men-of-war]]. The designs were moderately large ships, for a lack of harbours fit for very large units, but very heavily armed with large calibre guns; these ships displaced between 300 and 2000 tonnes and bore up to 50 24-pound [[cannon]]s, firing 150mm-[[round shot]]s. The first ships were ordered from the Dutch, and French production started with the famous {{ship|French ship|Couronne|1636|2}}, a prestige ship typical of this era.

In 1627, the Navy was not ready to challenge the English fleet at the [[Siege of La Rochelle]], which led to the construction of a [[seawall]] to establish [[Blockade of La Rochelle|a blockade]]. Fleets of this period were often largely composed of merchant vessels, hastily loaded with cannons, undercrewed and poorly handled.<ref>Jenkins, History of the French Navy, pp. 15–31, {{ISBN|0-356-04196-4}}</ref>

With newly built ships, designed as ships of war and crewed by sailors and trained gunners, fighting experience was gained in the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|Franco-Spanish War]] and the [[Thirty Years' War]] with notable victories at the [[Battle of Cádiz (1640)]] won by France's first Grand Admiral [[Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé]], son of Marshall [[Urbain de Maillé-Brézé]] and nephew of Cardinal Richelieu. The Navy built a French empire, conquering the "Nouvelle-Guyenne" (now [[Acadia]]), "Nouvelle France" (now [[Canada]]), [[Tortuga (Haiti)|Tortuga]], [[Martinique]], [[Guadeloupe]], several other islands in the [[Caribbean]], the [[Bahamas]], and [[Madagascar]].

== Louis XIV and Colbert ==
[[File:White ensign Battle martinique 1779 img 9388.jpg|thumb|A [[ship of the line]] at the [[Battle of Martinique (1780)|Battle of Martinique]] in 1780, flying the [[French ensigns|white ensign]] in use during the time of the [[House of Bourbon]].]]
Under the tutelage of the "Sun King," the French Navy was well financed and equipped, managing to score several early victories in the [[Nine Years' War]] against the [[Royal Navy]] and the [[Royal Netherlands Navy|Dutch Navy]]. Financial troubles, however, forced the navy back to port and allowed the English and the Dutch to regain the initiative.

Under the impulsion of [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]]'s ambitious policy of ship building, the French Navy began to gain a magnificence matching the symbolism of the Louis XIV era, as well as an actual military significance. The ship of the line {{ship|French ship|Soleil Royal|1669|2}} is illustrative of the trend of the time. Colbert is credited with forging a good part of the naval tradition of France.

The French Navy of this period was also in the forefront of the development of naval tactics. [[Paul Hoste]] (1652–1700) produced the first major work on naval tactics.<ref>L'Art des Armées Navales ou Traité des Evolutions Navales, see Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail, Brian Tunstall, 1990, pp. 59–64, {{ISBN|978-0-7858-1426-9}}</ref>

Before the Nine Years' War, in the [[Franco-Dutch War]], the French Navy managed to score a decisive victory over a combined Spanish-Dutch fleet at the [[Battle of Palermo]] (1676).

During the War of the Grand Alliance, Admiral [[Anne Hilarion de Tourville|Tourville]] won a significant victory in the [[Battle of Beachy Head (1690)|Battle of Beachy Head]] (1690, ''Bataille de Bévezier''). France gained control of the [[English Channel]]. The event is regarded as one of the most glorious deeds of the French Navy, and Tourville earned a fame which lasts to present times (a number of ships were named ''Bévezier'' or {{ship|French ship|Tourville||2}} to commemorate the battle).

The [[Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue]] in 1692 saw a French fleet engage an Anglo-Dutch fleet, with both sides suffering heavily.<ref>Jenkins, History of the French Navy, pp. 82–86, {{ISBN|0-356-04196-4}}</ref>  However, once wind and tide changed, the French suffered heavily as they tried to get back to port for repairs. Some of the damaged French ships were forced to beach themselves at [[Cherbourg]], where they were annihilated by English long boats and with [[fire ship]]s. The crews were saved, but the lost fifteen ships of the line were not replaced and France did not seriously challenge the combined English and Dutch fleet for decades.

France turned to commerce-raiding rather than large fleet actions with great success under such captains as [[Jean Bart]], [[Claude de Forbin]] and [[René Duguay-Trouin]].

== Louis XV ==
{{main| History of the French Navy from 1715 to 1789}}

Until what the British called the [[Annus Mirabilis of 1759]], the French and British navies had a roughly even record of success in their many conflicts. This changed decisively in that year with a series of disasters for the French, who had begun the year [[Planned French invasion of Britain (1759)|planning to invade Britain]]. The British responded by blockading the French fleets at both [[Toulon]] and [[Brest, France|Brest]]; when the French emerged they were decisively defeated in the battles of [[Battle of Lagos|Lagos, Portugal]] and [[Battle of Quiberon Bay|Quiberon Bay]]. The French Navy was also unable to prevent the loss of the important colonies of [[New France]] ([[Quebec]]) and [[Invasion of Guadeloupe (1759)|Guadeloupe]]. The year marked the beginning of the period of clear British dominance on the seas.

Following the disasters of the [[Seven Years' War]], France was financially incapable of building up a fleet to challenge Britain's [[Royal Navy]]. However, efforts were made, and by the time of [[Louis XV of France|Louis XV's]] death in 1774, the ''Marine Royale'' was somewhat larger than it had been in 1763, and, crucially, had replaced numerous old vessels with more effective modern designs. Also worthy of note: in 1766, [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville|Bougainville]] led the first French circumnavigation of the world.
<gallery>
File:Quibcardinaux2.jpg|{{ship|French ship|Soleil-Royal|1749|2}} (1749)
File:Bataille-Cardinaux.jpg|{{ship|French ship|Héros|1752|2}} (1752)
File:The Capture of the Foudroyant by HMS Monmouth.jpg|{{HMS|Foudroyant|1758|2}} (1751)
File:Scale model of Royal Louis-MnM2 13 MG 32-mg 6991.jpg|{{ship|French ship|Royal Louis|1758|2}} (1759)
File:BattleOfVirginiaCapes.jpg|{{ship|French ship|Ville de Paris|1764|2}} (1764)
File:The Outer Harbor of Brest MET DP316906.jpg|1777 painting ''[[The Outer Harbor of Brest]]'', showing the French port of Brest. The work was produced in order to show the successful rebuilding of French naval facilities in Brest during the 1760s and 1770s.
</gallery>

== Louis XVI ==
[[File:Etat de la Marine royale de France, 1785..jpg|thumb|left|Etat de la Marine royale de France, 1785]]
King [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]] was keen on technical subjects and geography, and encouraged explorations including the commissioning of [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse]] to undertake far reaching voyages of discovery. (L’expédition de Lapérouse, 1785–1788, réplique française au voyage de Cook<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canalacademie.com/ida386-L-expedition-de-La-Perouse-1785.html |title=L'Expédition de Lapérouse, 1785-1788, réplique française au voyage de Cook |access-date=2010-07-29 |archive-date=2021-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116003555/https://www.canalacademie.com/ida386-L-expedition-de-La-Perouse-1785.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>). Upon King Louis XVI's orders, Lapérouse departed Brest, France, in command of ''Astrolabe'' and ''Boussole'' on 1 August 1785 on a scientific voyage of the Pacific inspired by the voyages of [[James Cook]]. He never returned and his ships were later found wrecked at the island of [[Vanikoro]], which is part of the isolated [[Santa Cruz Islands|Santa Cruz group of islands]] in the South Pacific. Vessels designed by French engineer [[Jacques-Noël Sané]] started being constructed during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He created what were to be, in effect, the ultimate designs of wind-powered fighting ship, with standard frigates carrying 18-pounder guns, and standard ships of the line of 64, 74, 80 and 118 guns; his [[Seventy-four (ship)|74-gun]] ship of the line became the backbone of the French and British navies. The largest units, the 118-guns, were said to be "as manoeuvrable as a frigate" (the {{sclass|Océan|ship of the line|4}} is a typical example).

[[File:BattleOfVirginiaCapes.jpg|thumb|French Navy ships of the line in the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]].]]
During the American War of Independence the French Navy played a decisive role in supporting the American side. The French Navy was the only standing navy to fight the British, alongside the modest Continental and American state navies and American privateers.<ref>[http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/marine.htm Source]</ref> In a hard-fought effort, the French under [[François Joseph Paul de Grasse|de Grasse]] managed to repulse a British fleet at the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] in 1781, ensuring that the Franco-American ground forces would win the ongoing [[Siege of Yorktown|Battle of Yorktown]]. The career of de Grasse ended when he was captured during the decisive French defeat at the 1782 [[Battle of the Saintes]].

In India, [[Pierre André de Suffren|Suffren]] fought in a series of campaigns against the British (1770–1780), contending for supremacy against Vice-Admiral Sir [[Edward Hughes (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Hughes]].

In 1789, the French Navy had 71 [[ship of the line|ships of the line]], 64 [[frigate]]s, 45 [[corvette]]s and 32 smaller units; a further 12 ships of the line and 10 frigates were under construction and expected to be launched within the year. The crews counted 75,000 sailors, 5,000 gunners, 2,000 officers and 
14,000 ''[[Fusiliers Marins]]''. Ships were based mostly in Brest, Toulon and [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]], and in [[Lorient]], Le Havre, Dunkerque, Bordeaux, Bayonne and Marseille.

== French Revolution and the First Empire ==
[[File:Basques Road-Thomas Whitcombe-217057.JPG|thumb|The [[Battle of the Basque Roads]] off [[Ile d'Aix]], April 1809.]]

The [[French Revolution]], in eliminating numerous officers of noble lineage (among them, [[Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing|Charles d'Estaing]]), all but crippled the French Navy.

The [[National Convention]] dissolved the Fleet Gunners Corps, which effectively put a halt to the training in gunnery, abysmally degrading the rate of fire and precision of batteries;<ref>Later commentators state that the French gunners were adequate artillerymen but very poor naval gunners — that is they were incapable of compensating for the movements of their own ships</ref> in addition, the French doctrine was to fire at the rigging of enemy ships to disable them; this doctrine could prove effective with highly trained crews, but was impractical with poorly trained gunners, and resulted in a number of instances where French ships did not manage to score a single hit on dangerously exposed British ships (as happened with the fight of the {{ship|French ship|Ça Ira|1781|2}}, or at the beginning of the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]). By contrast, the [[Royal Navy]] doctrine was for their well-trained gunners to fire at the enemy's hull, a much easier target,  to kill and maim the crew and gradually degrade firepower.

Efforts to make the navy into a powerful force under Napoleon were dashed by the death of [[Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville|Latouche Tréville]] in 1804, and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where the British all but annihilated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet. This disaster guaranteed British naval domination during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

From then on, the French Navy was limited to frigate actions and privateers such as  [[Robert Surcouf]]. This started the French tendency to prefer large numbers of smaller but powerful and swift units, rather than large capital ships.

== From the Bourbon Restoration to the Second Empire ==
[[File:Épisode de l'expédition du Mexique en 1838.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Veracruz (1838)]]: bombing of the [[Castle of San Juan de Ulúa]], during the [[Pastry War]].]]
In the nineteenth century, the navy recovered to become the second finest in the world after the Royal Navy.

During this period, explorer and naval officer [[Jules Dumont d'Urville|Dumont d'Urville]] contributed to geography in Southern and Western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, and brought back previously unknown plants and animal species.

The French Navy also conducted a successful blockade of Mexico in the [[Pastry War]] of 1838 and obliterated the [[Imperial Chinese Navy]] at the [[Battle of Fuzhou]] in 1884. It also served as an effective link between the growing parts of the French empire. The French Navy were leaders in many areas of warship development, first with incremental improvements upon existing designs with the [[Commission de Paris]], but also pioneering the introduction of several new technologies: steam propulsion,  the screw propeller,  armour plate protection, steel construction, and protected gun mounts.
* France led in the development of artillery firing [[Shell (projectile)|shells]] for the Navy, invented by [[Henri-Joseph Paixhans]]
* In 1850, {{ship|French ship|Napoléon|1850|2}} became the first purpose-built steam-powered battleship.
* {{ship|French ironclad|Gloire||2}} became the first seagoing [[ironclad]]  when she was launched in 1853.
* In 1863, the French Navy launched {{ship|French submarine|Plongeur||2}}, the first mechanically propelled submarine.
* In 1876, the {{ship|French ironclad|Redoutable||2}} became the first steel-hulled warship.
<gallery>
File:Napoleon(1850).jpg|[[French ship Napoléon (1850)|''Napoléon'']] (1850).
File:Plongeur.jpg|[[French submarine Plongeur|''Plongeur'']] (1876).
File:Gloire.jpg|[[French ironclad Gloire|''Gloire'']] (1863).
File:LeRedoutablePhoto.jpg|[[French ironclad Redoutable|''Redoutable'']] (1876).
File:T-jaureg.JPG|[[French battleship Jauréguiberry|''Jauréguiberry'']] (1897).
</gallery>

===Global interventions===
In a speech in 1852, [[Napoleon III]] famously proclaimed that  "The Empire means peace" ("''L'Empire, c'est la paix''"), although he was determined to follow a strong foreign policy to extend France's power and glory. The French Navy was involved in a multitude of actions around the world.

====Crimean War====
Napoleon III's challenge to [[Russian Empire|Russia's]] claims to influence in the [[Ottoman Empire]] led to France's successful participation in the [[Crimean War]] (March 1854–March 1856). During this war Napoleon successfully established a French alliance with [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]], which continued after the war's close.

The French line-of-battle ship {{ship|French ship|Henri IV||2}} and the corvette ''Pluton'' ran aground after a storm that destroyed many Allied ships. The remains of ''Henri IV'' were used to construct a fortress. The ''Pluton'' was a total loss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pdavis.nl/Russia2.htm|title=W.L. Clowes on the 1854-56 Russian ("Crimean") War|website=pdavis.nl|access-date=2019-03-13}}</ref>

====East Asia====
[[File:LaGuerriere.jpg|thumb|The {{ship|French frigate|Guerrière|1860|6|up=yes}} commanded by Admiral [[Pierre-Gustave Roze]] was the lead ship in the [[French campaign against Korea]], 1866. Here the ship is photographed in [[Nagasaki]] harbour, circa 1865.]]

Napoleon III took the first steps to establishing a [[French colonial empire|French colonial influence]] in [[Indochina]]. He approved the launching of a [[Cochinchina Campaign|naval expedition in 1858]] to punish the Vietnamese for their mistreatment of French Catholic missionaries and force the court to accept a French presence in the country. An important factor in his decision was the belief that France risked becoming a second-rate power by not expanding its influence in East Asia. Also, the idea that France had a [[civilizing mission]] was spreading. This eventually led to a full-out invasion in 1861. By 1862 the war was over and [[Nguyễn dynasty|Vietnam]] conceded three provinces in the south, called by the French [[Cochinchina]], opened three ports to French trade, allowed free passage of French warships to Cambodia (which led to a [[French Protectorate of Cambodia|French protectorate over Cambodia]] in 1867), allowed freedom of action for French missionaries and gave France a large indemnity for the cost of the war.

In [[Qing dynasty|China]], France took part in the [[Second Opium War]], and in 1860 French troops entered [[Beijing]]. China was forced to concede more trading rights, allow freedom of navigation of the [[Yangtze]] river, give full civil rights and freedom of religion to Christians, and give France a huge indemnity. This, combined with the intervention in Vietnam, set the stage for further French influence in China, leading up to a sphere of influence over parts of Southern China.

In 1866, French Navy troops made [[French campaign against Korea|an attempt to colonize Korea]]. The French Navy also had a small presence in Japan in 1867–1868, around the actions of a [[French military mission to Japan (1867–68)|French military mission to Japan]], and the subsequent [[Boshin War]].

====Mexico====
The French Navy was heavily involved in [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]] (January 1862–March 1867). Napoleon III, using as a pretext the Mexican Republic's refusal to pay its foreign debts, planned to establish a French sphere of influence in North America by creating a French-backed monarchy in Mexico, a project which was supported by Mexican conservatives tired of the anti-clerical Mexican republic.

====Pre-dreadnought battleships====
[[File:Le Vauban (cuirassé).jpg|thumb|350px|The ironclad [[French ironclad Vauban|''Vauban'']] (1882–1905), painting by Paul Jazet (1848–1918).]]
In the 1880s, the ''[[Jeune École]]'' doctrine had a more powerful influence within the French Navy than elsewhere. Derived from the traditions of privateer warfare, the ''Jeune École'' emphasised small, maneuverable craft such as [[torpedo boat]]s and [[cruiser]]s carrying shell-firing guns, and prematurely deemed the battleship obsolete. However, in the early 1890s the pre-dreadnought battleship revived with surprising vigour and new protections against torpedoes and mines, and the torpedo boats proved to have inadequate nautical qualities for the open ocean.

French capital ships of this time were instantly identifiable by their small size (10,000 tons), huge spur rams, great height and pronounced [[tumble-home]]. Often carrying only half the main armament of their British contemporaries, French battleships had armoured masts with electric elevators inside, outsized funnels, and elaborate davit systems to swing out boats from the narrow upper decks.

France built a considerable fleet of these vessels, though seldom with such uniform class characteristics as seen in Britain and Germany. The {{ship|French battleship|Bouvet||2}}, {{ship|French battleship|Masséna||2}}, and {{ship|French battleship|Jauréguiberry||2}} were built as "sample battleships", as the design for a true class of battleships was fiddled with. It eventually materialised with the 3-ship {{sclass|Charlemagne|battleship|4}}, which introduced armament nearly on a par with its British contemporaries.

France's conceptual and technological edge proved attractive to the newly industrialising [[Empire of Japan|Japan]], when the French engineer [[Émile Bertin]] was invited for four years to design a new fleet for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]], which led to her success in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] in 1894. French yards busily turned out warships for foreign customers, especially Imperial Russia, which copied French styles in designing many of its cruisers and battleships. Despite her leads in some areas of technology (boilers, metallurgy), France did not have the productive capacity of her rival across the Channel, or her new nemesis, Germany.

Right at the turn of the century, French design absorbed influences from foreign practice. Her newer battleships had two twin-300mm gun turrets instead of single mounts, less exaggerated tumble-home of the hull, and abandonment of the ram bow. This led to improved seakeeping characteristics, though the ships remained small.

In the {{sclass|Liberté|battleship|4}} (completed 1907), French pre-dreadnought design finally caught up with U.S. and British standards; but 1907 also saw the debut of {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}, which made all the world's capital ships obsolete overnight. Through 1911, while rival navies were turning out new dreadnoughts, all France's available shipyards were dedicated to producing the six-ship {{sclass|Danton|battleship|4}} pre-dreadnoughts which, though they featured turbine/quad screw propulsion, still mounted only four heavy guns each, as against at least ten for a dreadnought.

The first French dreadnoughts did not appear until 1914, and two classes totalling seven ships, the {{sclass|Courbet|battleship|5}} and {{sclass|Bretagne|battleship|4}}es, were completed during [[World War I]]. With the alliance with Britain, France's naval assets were concentrated in the Mediterranean, largely to face off the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy|Austro-Hungarian fleet]] in the [[Adriatic Sea]]. Meanwhile, a large cruiser fleet was also built, seeing service in the Mediterranean, the Channel, and in France's imperial dominions in Indochina, Pacific Islands, West Africa, and the Caribbean.

=====French naval uniforms, 1884=====
<gallery>
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:capitaine de fregate.jpg|French naval captain -->
File:French sailor, 1880s.jpg|French sailor
File:Branlebas de combat.jpg|'Going into battle'
</gallery>

== World Wars ==
The development of the French Navy slowed down in the beginning of the 20th century, and as a result, it was outnumbered by the German and US Navies. It was late to introduce new [[dreadnought]] battleships and [[light cruiser]]s, and it entered the First World War with relatively few modern vessels: only one dreadnought in commission at war's start, with all four ''Courbet''s by the end of 1914 and three improved dreadnoughts by mid-1916. During the war, the main French effort was on land. While capital ships already on the ways were completed, few new warships were laid down. Despite its dated roster, the Marine Nationale performed well in World War I. The main operation of the French Navy was the [[Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign|Dardanelles Campaign]]. France's most significant losses during the war were four pre-dreadnought battleships, victims of mines and [[U-boat]] torpedoes.

A number of major ships of the French Navy at the outbreak / end of World War I:<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Balakin|first=Sergey|url= http://wunderwafe.ru/Magazine/MK/2000_03/|title=ВМС Франции 1914 — 1918. Справочник по корабельному составу|trans-title=French Navy 1914–1918. A Naval Reference Book|series=Morskaya Kollektsiya|type=supplement to the magazine ''{{ill|Modelist-Konstruktor|ru|Моделист-конструктор}}''|issue=3 |year=2000| language=ru|access-date=2019-03-13}}</ref>
* [[dreadnought]] battleships: 4/7
* [[pre-dreadnought]] battleships: 17/13
* [[armoured cruiser]]s: 22/18
* [[protected cruiser]]s: 13/12
* [[destroyer]]s: 35/42 (capacity over 500 tons)
* [[torpedo boat]]s: 180/164
* [[submarine]]s: 50/61

===The first proto-aircraft carrier===
[[File:LeFoudre.jpg|thumb|right|{{ship|French seaplane carrier|Foudre||6|up=yes}}.]]
The invention of the [[seaplane]] in 1910 with the French [[Fabre Hydravion]] led to the earliest development of ships designed to carry aircraft, [[float plane]]s. In 1911 the French Navy {{ship|French seaplane carrier|Foudre||2}} became the first [[seaplane carrier]]. She was commissioned as a seaplane tender, and carried float-planes in hangars on the main deck, from where they were lowered onto the sea with a crane. ''Foudre'' was further modified in November 1913 with a 10-metre flat deck to launch her seaplanes.<ref>[http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/france.htm#foud Description] and [http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/images/europe/foudre-2.jpg photograph] of ''Foudre''</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Genesis of the flat-deck carrier===
{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-right:0; font-size:85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width:40%;" cellspacing="5"
| style="text-align: left;" | "An airplane-carrying vessel is indispensable. These vessels will be constructed on a plan very different from what is currently used. First of all the deck will be cleared of all obstacles. It will be flat, as wide as possible without jeopardizing the nautical lines of the hull, and it will look like a landing field."
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Clément Ader]], ''[[L'Aviation Militaire]]'', 1909
|}
As heavier-than-air aircraft developed in the early 20th century, various navies began to take an interest in their potential use as scouts for their big gun warships. In 1909 the French inventor [[Clément Ader]] published in his book ''[[L'Aviation Militaire]]'' the description of a ship to operate airplanes at sea, with a flat flight deck, an island superstructure, deck elevators and a hangar bay.<ref>Clement Ader on the structure of the aircraft carrier:<br>
"An airplane-carrying vessel is indispensable. These vessels will be constructed on a plan very different from what is currently used. First of all the deck will be cleared of all obstacles. It will be flat, as wide as possible without jeopardizing the nautical lines of the hull, and it will look like a landing field." Military Aviation, p. 35<br>
On stowage:<br>
"Of necessity, the airplanes will be stowed below decks; they would be solidly fixed anchored to their bases, each in its place, so they would not be affected with the pitching and rolling. Access to this lower decks would be by an elevator sufficiently long and wide to hold an airplane with its wings folded. A large, sliding trap would cover the hole in the deck, and it would have waterproof joints, so that neither rain nor seawater, from heavy seas could penetrate below." Military Aviation, p. 36<br>
On the technique of landing:<br>
"The ship will be headed straight into the wind, the stern clear, but a padded bulwark set up forward in case the airplane should run past the stop line" Military Aviation, p. 37</ref> That year the US Naval Attaché in Paris sent a report on his observations<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://www.sandcastlevi.com/sea/carriers/cvchap1b.htm |chapter=Chapter 1 - The Early Years|title=Carriers: Airpower at Sea|website=SandcastleVI.com|access-date=2019-03-13}}</ref> and the first experiments to test the concept were made in the United States from 1910.

===Fleet construction between the World Wars===
[[File:Fantasque.jpg|thumb|France's {{sclass|Le Fantasque|destroyer|4}}, the fastest destroyer class ever built.]]
Every naval fleet consists of a variety of ships of different sizes, and no fleet has enough resources to make every vessel supreme in its class. Nonetheless, different countries strive to excel in particular classes. Between the world wars, the French fleet was remarkable in its building of small numbers of ships that were "over the top" with relation to their equivalents of other powers.

For example, the French chose to build "super-destroyers" which were deemed during [[World War II]] by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] as the equivalent of light cruisers. This was a way of bypassing the [[Washington Naval Treaty|Treaty of Washington]], which imposed restrictions on cruisers and battleships, but not on destroyers and smaller units. The {{sclass|Le Fantasque|destroyer|4}} of [[destroyer]] is still the world's fastest class of destroyer. The {{ship|French submarine|Surcouf||2}} submarine was the largest and most powerful of its day.

In 1933, the French Navy was considering building a super-battleship, the {{sclass|Lyon|battleship|4}}, but the plans were canceled when the Germans produced the so-called "pocket battleships"; the French responded with a class of two ships of the {{sclass|Dunkerque|battleship|5}} type, a [[fast battleship]] class falling somewhere in between battlecruisers and battleships. The large battleship niche was filled with the {{sclass|Richelieu|battleship|4}}.

=== Second World War ===
At the outset of the war, the French Navy participated in a number of operations against the [[Axis powers]], patrolling the Atlantic and bombarding [[Genoa]]. The French surrender and its armistice terms, however, completely changed the situation: the French fleet immediately withdrew from the fight.

==== Destruction of the French fleet and Vichy France ====
The British perceived the French fleet as a potentially lethal threat, should the French become formal enemies or, more likely, should [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' gain control. It was essential that they should be put out of action. Some vessels were in British-controlled ports in Britain or Egypt and these were either persuaded to re-join the Allies as [[Free France|Free French]] ships or were boarded and disarmed.

Important parts of the fleet, however, were in [[Dakar]] and [[Mers-el-Kebir]]. The Royal Navy delivered an ultimatum but, when agreement proved impossible, they opened fire and sank or damaged much of the French fleet ([[Attack on Mers-el-Kébir|Operation Catapult]]) on 3 July 1940, to stop the fleet from falling into Axis hands. The action soured [[France–United Kingdom relations|Anglo-French relations]] and inhibited further defections to the Allies. From this point on, the ships remaining in [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] hands spent the war trying to observe neutrality towards the Axis powers, while avoiding capture by the Allies and the Free French. They obtained anecdotal tactical successes which weighted for nought against the overall strategic disaster, like the battles of [[Battle of Dakar|Dakar]] and [[Battle of Ko Chang|Ko Chang]].

In November, 1942, the Allies invaded [[French North Africa]]. In response, the Germans occupied ([[Case Anton]]) Vichy France, including the French naval port of [[Toulon]], where the main part of the surviving French fleet lay. This was a major German objective and forces under SS command had been detailed to capture them (Operation ''Lila''). French naval authorities were divided on their response: Admiral [[Jean de Laborde]], the commander of the Forces de Haute Mer (the High Seas Fleet) advocated sailing to attack the Allied invasion fleet while others, such as the Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Contre-Amiral [[Gabriel Auphan]] favoured joining the Allies. On several warships, there were spontaneous demonstrations in favour of sailing with the Allies, chanting "''Vive de Gaulle! Appareillage!''".

The orders to French commanders to scuttle their ships in case of an attempted take-over had been reinforced, however, and, often despite the presence of German troops, this was done in the [[scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon]]. No capital ships and few others were taken in reparable condition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bobhenneman.info/bhst.htm |title=The Scuttle of the French Fleet at Touon, November 27, 1942 |website=bobhenneman.info|access-date=2011-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107021556/http://bobhenneman.info/bhst.htm |archive-date=2012-01-07 }}</ref>  A few ships fled Toulon and joined the Allies, notably the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Casabianca|1935|2}}.

==== Free French Naval Forces ====
{{Main|Free French Naval Forces}}{{See also|List of ships of the Free French Naval Forces}}
[[File:Naval Jack of Free France.svg|thumb|FNFL ensign]]

In the wake of the [[Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)|Armistice]] and the [[Appeal of 18 June]], [[Charles de Gaulle]] founded the [[Free French Forces]], including a naval arm, the Free Naval French Forces (''Forces navales françaises libres'', FNFL). To distinguish the FNFL from the Vichy French forces, Vice-Admiral [[Émile Muselier]] created the bow flag displaying the French colours with a red [[cross of Lorraine]], and a cocarde also featuring the cross of Lorraine for aircraft.

The French fleet was widely dispersed. Some vessels were in port in France; others had escaped from France to British-controlled ports, mainly in Britain itself or [[Alexandria]] in Egypt. At the first stage of [[Operation Catapult]], the ships in the British ports of [[Plymouth]] and [[Portsmouth]] were simply boarded on the night of 3 July 1940. The then-largest [[submarine]] in the world, the {{ship|French submarine|Surcouf||2}}, which had sought refuge in [[Portsmouth]] in June 1940 following the [[Battle of France|German invasion of France]], made an effort to resist the boarding. In capturing the submarine, two British officers and one French sailor were killed. Other ships were the two obsolete battleships {{ship|French battleship|Paris||2}} and {{ship|French battleship|Courbet|1911|2}}, the destroyers {{ship|French destroyer|Le Triomphant||2}} and the {{ship|French destroyer|Léopard||2}}, 8 torpedo boats, 5 submarines and a number of other ships of lesser importance.

Most of these ships were surrendered to the FNFL (notably the submarine ''Surcouf''), and other were leased by the British (like the corvette {{ship|French corvette|Aconit||2}}), constituting the embryo of a naval force.

When French Africa joined the Allies, important ships based in [[Dakar]] were obtained (notably the cruisers {{ship|French cruiser|Suffren||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Gloire|1935|2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Montcalm|1935|2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Georges Leygues||2}}, and the battleship {{ship|French battleship|Richelieu||2}}).

Beside warships, the FNFL developed special forces: Captain [[Philippe Kieffer]] took inspiration from the British commandos to train new units of "''Commandos Fusiliers-Marins''", which later would become the ''[[Commandos Marine]]''. These commandos distinguished themselves during the [[Operation Overlord|Battle of Normandy]], climbing cliffs under fire to destroy German shore batteries. Captain [[Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves]] attempted to unite the [[French Resistance]], and became an inspiring symbol when he was arrested, tortured by the [[Gestapo]] and executed.

The FNFL also harboured technical innovators, like Captain [[Jacques Cousteau]], who invented the modern [[aqua-lung]], and [[Yves Rocard]], who improved [[radar]]. The aqua-lung became a major improvement for commando operations.

French warships of the FNFL supported the landings in southern France ([[Operation Dragoon]]) and Normandy ([[Operation Neptune]]). These units also played their parts in the war in the Pacific. ''Richelieu'' was present in [[Tokyo Bay]] during the signing of the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender]].

== Modern navy ==
{{Main|Future of the French Navy}}

[[File:Temeraire1048.jpg|thumb|The [[Triomphant-class submarine|SNLE-NG]] {{ship|French submarine|Le Téméraire|S617|2}}]]
French naval doctrine calls for two [[aircraft carrier]]s, but the French only have one, the {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}}.

The navy is in the midst of major technological and procurement changes. A naval version of the [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] is replacing older aircraft. Newer strategic submarines of the [[Triomphant-class submarine|SNLE-NG type]] have mostly replaced the [[Redoutable-class submarine (1967)|elder SNLE]], and a [[M51 (missile)|new nuclear ballistic missile]] is under test, due for 2008. The experience acquired with the building of the SNLE-NG will also lead to a [[French Barracuda-class submarine|newer type of nuclear attack submarines]], which are expected for 2017. Surface forces are upgrading in numbers and modernity, with [[Horizon-class frigate|two large destroyers]] and [[FREMM multipurpose frigate|11 frigates]] planned. More [[Storm Shadow|modern missiles]] are being issued, notably adding cruise missile capabilities.

==See also==
* [[Military history of France]]

=== People ===
* [[Raoul Castex]], the admiral was a major theorist in 20th century

==== Politicians ====
* [[Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]]
* [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert|Colbert]]
* [[Étienne François, duc de Choiseul|Choiseul]]
* [[Georges Leygues]]

==== Heroes of the Ancien Régime ====
* [[Jean de Vienne]]
* [[Claude de Forbin|Forbin]], famous privateer
* [[Abraham Duquesne|Duquesne]]
* [[Anne Hilarion de Tourville|Tourville]]
* [[Jean Bart]], famous privateer
* [[René Duguay-Trouin|Duguay-Trouin]], famous privateer
* Admiral [[François Joseph Paul de Grasse|de Grasse]], commander of the French fleet which help the USA secure independence

==== Heroes of the First Republic ====
* [[Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca|Casabianca]]
* [[Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars|Dupetit-Thouars]]
* [[Armand Blanquet du Chayla|du Chayla]]
* [[Robert Surcouf|Surcouf]]
* [[Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville|Latouche-Tréville]]
* Admiral [[Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse|Villaret-Joyeuse]]

==== Explorers ====
* [[Jacques Cartier]]
* [[Samuel de Champlain|Champlain]]
* [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville|Bougainville]]
* [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse|Lapérouse]]
* [[Bruni d'Entrecasteaux|d'Entrecasteaux]]
* [[Nicolas Thomas Baudin]]
* [[Jules Dumont d'Urville|Dumont d'Urville]]
* [[Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza|Savorgnan de Brazza]]
* Captain [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau|Cousteau]]

==== Other important French naval officers ====
* Admiral [[Amédée Courbet|Courbet]]
* [[Pierre-Charles Villeneuve]], commander of the French and Spanish fleets at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]
* [[Pierre Loti]], mostly known for his literary works

=== Lists of ships ===
* [[List of ships of the line of France]]
* [[List of French sail frigates]]
* [[List of battleships of France]]
* [[Current French Navy ships]]
* [[List of French Navy ship names]]
* Three ships were named for the Grand Admiral of France: see {{ship|French ship|Maillé Brézé}}

=== List of naval battles ===
* [[List of French naval battles]]

==References==
{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2009}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Auphan, Paul, & Jacques Mordal. ''The French Navy in World War II'' (Naval Institute Press, 2016). [https://books.google.com/books?id=DKuqDAAAQBAJ&dq=+French+Navy+&pg=PR5 online]
* Blatt, Joel. "The Parity That Meant Superiority: French Naval Policy towards Italy at the Washington Conference, 1921-22, and Interwar French Foreign Policy." ''French Historical Studies'' 12.2 (1981): 223-248. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/286478 online]
* Brown, David. ''The Road to Oran: Anglo-French Naval Relations, September 1939-July 1940'' (Psychology Press, 2004) [https://books.google.com/books?id=jbQUDBEWPPIC&dq=+French+Navy+&pg=PR7 online].
* {{cite book|last=Canuel|first=Hugues|title=The Fall and Rise of French Sea Power: France's Quest for an Independent Naval Policy, 1940–1963 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |place=Annapolis, MD |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-68247-616-1}} Pp. xiv, 344. Review accessible at https://www.miwsr.com/2022-051.aspx. 
* Chartrand, René  and Gerry Embleton. ''French Naval & Colonial Troops 1872–1914'' (Osprey, 2018)	
* Cormack, William S. ''Revolution and Political Conflict in the French Navy 1789-1794'' (Cambridge University Press, 2002) [https://books.google.com/books?id=JoYNr3k9I9kC&dq=+French+Navy+&pg=PR9 online].
* Dull, Jonathan R. ''The Age of the Ship of the Line: The British and French Navies, 1650-1815'' (U of Nebraska Press, 2009).
* Dull, Jonathan R. ''The French Navy and the Seven Years' War'' (U. of Nebraska Press, 2007), 445 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=KHNKbHyPB-cC&dq=+French+Navy+&pg=PR11 online]
* Dull, Jonathan R. ''The French Navy and American Independence'' (Princeton University Press, 2015). [https://archive.org/details/frenchnavyameric0000unse online]
* Estival, Bernard. "The French navy and the Algerian war." ''Journal of Strategic Studies'' 25.2 (2002): 79-94.
* Halpern, Paul. "The French Navy, 1880–1914." in ''Technology and Naval Combat in the Twentieth Century and Beyond'' (Routledge, 2013) pp.&nbsp;47–63.
* Hamilton, C.I. ''Anglo-French Naval Rivalry, 1840–1870'' (Oxford University Press, 1993).
* Hood, Robert Chalmers. ''Royal Republicans: The French Naval Dynasties Between the World Wars'' (LSU Press, 1985) [https://archive.org/details/royalrepublicans0000hood online]
* {{cite book|first=E H|last=Jenkins|year=1973|title=A History of the French Navy from its Beginnings to the Present Day|publisher=Macdonald and Jane's|location=London|isbn=0356-04196-4}}
* James, Alan. "The Development of French Naval Policy in the Seventeenth Century: Richelieu's Early Aims and Ambitions." ''French History'' 12.4 (1998): 384-402.
* le Masson, Henri. ''The French Navy'' (2 vol, Macdonald, 1969) in World War II.
* Melton, George E. ''From Versailles To Mers El-Kébir: The Promise of Anglo-French Naval Cooperation, 1919-40'' (Naval Institute Press, 2015). [https://archive.org/details/fromversaillesto0000melt online]
* Olender, Piotr. ''Sino-French Naval War 1884-1885'' (MMP Books, 2012)	against China
* Pritchard, James. "From shipwright to naval constructor: The professionalization of 18th-Century French Naval Shipbuilders." ''Technology and Culture'' 28.1 (1987): 1-25. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3105474 online]
* Pritchard, James. ''Anatomy of a naval disaster : the 1746 French naval expedition to North America'' (1995) [https://archive.org/details/anatomyofnavaldi0000prit online]
* {{cite book|first=Jean|last=Randier|year=2006|title=La Royale: L'histoire illustrée de la Marine nationale française|publisher=Babouji-MDV Maîtres du Vent |isbn=978-2-35261-022-9}}
* Redding, Benjamin W. D. ''The English and French Navies, 1500-1650: Expansion, Organisation and State-Building'' (Boydell Press, 2021).
* Ropp, Theodore, and Stephen S. Roberts. ''The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871–1904'' (United States Naval Institute, 1987).	
* Thomas, Martin. "After Mers-el-Kébir: The Armed Neutrality of the Vichy French Navy, 1940-43." ''English Historical Review'' (1997): 643-670. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/576348 online]
* Tritten, James J. "The Influence of French Naval Thought on the U.S. Navy" (Defense Technical Information Center, DTIC ADA306841, 1995) [https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA306841 online]
* Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S., ''French Warships in the Age of Sail, 1626-1786: Design, Constructions, Careers and Fates'' (Seaforth Publishing, 2017) {{ISBN|978-1-4738-9351-1}}; 
**''French Warships in the Age of Sail, 1786-1861: Design, Constructions, Careers and Fates'' (Seaforth Publishing, 2015) {{ISBN|978-1-84832-204-2}}.

===Primary sources===
*  [[Raoul Castex]]. ''Strategic Theories'' (Naval Institute Press, 2017),  Eugenia Kiesling translates and summarizes original five volume study, ''Théories stratégiques'' by  [[Raoul Castex]] {{ISBN|1-68247-278-7}}

==External links==
* [http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/marine.htm French naval leaders and the French navy in the American War for independence]
* [[:fr:Administration et administrateurs de la Marine royale française]] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.CityofArt.net/bship/frameset6.html Pictorial history of French navy vessels, 1850-1916, from BigBadBattleships.com]
* [http://marinepremierempire.free.fr/ The French Navy during the napoleonic era]

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of The French Navy}}
[[Category:History of the French Navy| ]]
[[Category:History of organizations based in France|Navy]]