French aircraft carrier Foch (R99)

*Foch*
History

France
Name:	Foch
Namesake:	Ferdinand Foch
Ordered:	1955
Laid down:	15 November 1957
Launched:	23 July 1960
Commissioned:	15 July 1963
Decommissioned:	15 November 2000
Identification:	R99
Fate:	Sold to the Brazilian Navy, re-named São Paulo.
Notes:	See NAe São Paulo for subsequent history
General characteristics
Class and type:	Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	24,200 t (23,818 long tons) standard 32,800 t (32,282 long tons) full load
Length:	265 m (869 ft 5 in)
Beam:	51.2 m (168 ft 0 in)
Draught:	8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:	6 × Indret boilers 4 × steam turbines 126,000 hp (94 MW) 2 shafts
Speed:	32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
Range:	7,500 nmi (13,900 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement:	1,338 men, including 64 officers (1,920 men including the air group. 984 men if only helicopters are carried.)
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × DRBV-23B air search radar 1 × DRBV-50 low-altitude or surface search radar (later replaced by a DRBV-15) 1 × NRBA-50 approach radar 1 × DRBI-10 tri-dimensional air search radar Several DRBC-31 fire-control radar (later DRBC-32C) DRBN-34 navigation radars
Armament:	8 × 100 mm turrets (originally) ; in the 90s, 4 are replaced by 2 × SACP Crotale EDIR systems, with 52 missiles 5 × 12.7 mm machine guns • 2 × Sadral launchers for 6 Mistral missiles each (added in 1994).
Aircraft carried:	About 40 aircraft: 15 × Super Étendard 4 × Étendard IVP 10 × F-8E (FN) Crusader 6 × Alizé 2 × Dauphin Pedro helicopters 2 × Super Frelon helicopters

Foch (French pronunciation: [fɔʃ]) was the second Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier of the French Navy. She was the second warship named in honour of Marshal of France, British Field Marshal and Marshal of Poland Ferdinand Foch. Serving with the French Navy from 1963 to 2000, the vessel was sold to Brazil and renamed São Paulo.

Foch was laid down 15 November 1957 and launched 23 July 1960. The aircraft carrier was commissioned 15 July 1963 with the ship identification number R 99.

Ironically Ferdinand Foch is famously quoted in 1911 saying "Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value" although this was only eight years after the first powered human flight.

The Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, of which Foch, now renamed and reflagged as São Paulo, is the last surviving member, are of conventional CATOBAR design. The landing area is 165.5 metres (543 ft) long by 29.5 metres (97 ft) wide; it is angled at 8 degrees off of the ship's axis. The flight deck is 265 metres (869 ft) long. The forward aircraft elevator is to starboard, and the rear elevator is positioned on the deck edge to save hangar space. The forward of two 52 metres (171 ft) catapults is at the bow to port, the aft catapult is on the forward area of angled landing deck. The hangar deck dimensions are 152 by 22–24 metres (499 by 72–79 ft) with 7 metres (23 ft) overhead.

The draft statute, prepared by the Naval General Staff in 1949, asked for four aircraft carriers of 20,000 tons to be available in two phases. At its meeting of 22 August 1949, the Supreme Council of the Navy was even more ambitious, where they proposed a six aircraft carrier fleet. On 15 July 1952, the French Navy still wanted two to five for the French Navy(not available to NATO). According to RCM 12, the final document of the Lisbon Conference of 1952, France should make available to NATO an aircraft carrier on D-day, two on day 30, three on day 180.

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