Foch (R 99)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

Light Carrier

Ordered:	1955
Laid down:	15 November 1957
Launched:	23 July 1960
Commissioned:	15 July 1963
Decommissioned:	15 November 2000
Fate:	Sold to the Brazilian Navy, re-named São Paulo.
Struck:
General characteristics
Displacement:	24,200 tonnes (32,800 full load)
Length:	265 m
Width:	51,20 m
Beam:
Draught:	8,60 m
Propulsion:	6 Indret boilers, 4 steam turbines producing 126 000 hp, 2 propellers
Speed:	32 knots
Range:	7,500 mn in 18 knots
Complement:	1,338 men, including 64 officers (1,920 men including the air group). 984 men if only helicopters are carried.
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.
Electronics:	Radars 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
Planes	about 40 aircraft: 15 Super Étendard 4 Étendard IVP 10 F-8E (FN) Crusader 6 Alizé 2 Dauphin Pedro helicopters 2 Super Frelon helicopters
Motto:

Foch (R 99) was the second Clemenceau class aircraft carrier. She was the second warship named in honour of Marshal Ferdinand Foch, after a heavy cruiser commissioned in 1932, and scuttled in Toulon on November 27, 1942.

After a 37-year career in the French navy, on November 15, 2000, she was sold to the Brazilian Navy, and renamed São Paulo. In the French Navy, she was succeeded by Charles de Gaulle.

1 Combat History
2 Popular culture
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Combat History

1977 Crusaders from 14.F squadron on the Foch participated in the Saphir missions over Djibouti. On 7 May 1977, two Crusaders went separately on patrol against supposedly French Air Force (4/11 Jura squadron) F-100 Super Sabres stationed at Djibouti. The leader intercepted two fighters and engaged a dogfight (supposed to be a training exercise) but quickly called his wingman for help as he had actually engaged two Yemeni MiG-21 Fishbeds. The two French fighters switched their master armament to "on" but, ultimately, everyone returned to their bases. This was the only combat interception by French Crusaders.

1983-1984, the ship was sent to Lebanon for combat operations during the civil war with an air wing consisting of six F-8 Crusaders, fifteen Super-Etendards, three Etendard IVPs, five Br 1050 Alizés and six SA-321G Super-Frelons. ^[1] She would rotate with the Clemenceau providing constant on station air support to French peacekeepers.

In October 1984, France sent the Foch for operation Mirmillon off the coast of Libya,in response to tension in the Gulf of Sidra.

She was involved in Yugoslavian War between July and August 1993, February, March 1994, February, from May to July 1994 in suport of UN operations.

[edit] Popular culture

Foch was featured as fighting in the Battle of the Atlantic in Tom Clancy's 1986 novel, Red Storm Rising, which detailed a conventionally-fought Third World War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. In this book, the ship was destroyed and is reported to have at least 40 F-8E(FN) Crusader fighters on board.

Foch was also featured in the 1995 film Crimson Tide.