Stardate 20011201.0935 (On Screen): France's nuclear carrier,
Charles de Gaulle, has left for the Arabian sea.
France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier left for the Indian Ocean on Saturday to support the U.S.-led offensive in Afghanistan and its bid to capture Osama bin Laden and leaders of his al Qaeda network.
The Charles de Gaulle, which has recently undergone lengthy repairs, left the southern French port of Toulon carrying 20 combat and reconnaissance aircraft.
I wonder if it will actually arrive? That's not a facetious question. Note those "lengthy repairs" mentioned there? This ship has been a problem ever since it was commissioned, and it's picked up a really bad reputation even in the French navy itself, let alone outside. Once when it left for sea, part of one of its propellers fell off and it had to be towed back to port. At least as of last March, it had not actually made a successful mission. It's ended up costing France more than twice as much as the US spends on a Nimitz-class carrier, which supports four times as many aircraft (and better ones, at that). This article says that it's going to take some time to do maneuvers in the Mediterranean before moving on; I suspect they're just trying to make sure the damned thing won't die on them again. It would be a huge embarrassment if it became non-operational because of mechanical breakdown (i.e. poor workmanship) and actually had to be aided by American ships. (discuss)
