French aircraft carrier back in French Port

XINHUA NEWS AGENCY | 2/25/03

[kattracks]

PARIS, Feb 25, 2003 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- France's only aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle returned to the southern port of Toulon on Tuesday after three weeks of exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.

The ship was to remain in dock for around a week before leaving for new exercises, a navy spokesman said.

During its three-week exercises in the Mediterranean starting from Feb. 4, Charles-de-Gaulle had joint training with the American aircraft carrier Harry Truman, deployed ahead of a possible US-led strike on Baghdad.

On Feb. 17, the French armies confirmed that Charles-de-Gaulle will not head for the Gulf region after finishing the exercises in the Mediterranean.

It said the exercise of Charles-de-Gaulle was planned a long time ago and not related to the "international situation," a reference to Washington and London's speeding-up military deployment in the Gulf region.

France, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, insists that UN weapons inspections are the right way to disarm Iraq and opposes any military interventions on Iraq without UN mandate.

Nuclear-powered and escorted by a fleet of five frigates, the French carrier has on board 14 Super-Etendards, two radar Hawkeye planes, four Rafales, two Pedro helicopters and two Pumas.

Copyright 2003 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY.

[Paleo Conservative]

The French are lucky it didn't sink.

[dts32041]

Yup they found out their flight deck was another 3 meters short.

[Semper Paratus]

after three weeks of exercises in the eastern Mediterranean

3 weeks! How exhaustive.
Now for 3 months of liberty!

[ken5050]

French warships ALWAYSreturn to port to surrend..it's part of French Naval doctrine.....this way, the crew doesn't havre to get their feet wet when they disembark......see WW II..French navy surrenders after Brit fleet pounds it..

[spokeshave]

"France's only aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle returned to the southern port of Toulon on Tuesday after three weeks of exercises in the eastern Mediterranean."

Accompanied by its four attack tugs

[Timeout]

Did they run out of fois gras?

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: ...the French armies confirmed that Charles-de-Gaulle will not head for the Gulf region after finishing the exercises in the Mediterranean.

[biblewonk]

War games? Practicing the surrender maneuver? Replenishing the white flag supply? Found live ammo on the ship and had to offload it?

[TADSLOS]

Three weeks...must have been pinned down by a sniper porpoise.

[ArrogantBustard]

The froggish navy didn't surrender when the Americans (and a bunch of Brits) came calling at Casablanca... But they would have been better off if they had.

[Redcloak]

What sort of exercises would a French carrier conduct? Reducing the time it takes to raise the white flag from 3.2 seconds to 3.1 seconds?

[byteback]

[TomB]

3 weeks! How exhaustive.

Hey, YOU try running around for three weeks solid with your hands up. Heck, my arms would get tired after a few hours.

Then again, I'm not as well practiced as the French.

[sheik yerbouty]

Surrender ceremonies are planned.

[Enemy Of The State]

what happened? Did it Chicken out when it saw what a real Aircraft Carrier looked like?

[timestax]

nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, kewl pic!!

[razorback-bert]