i may be naive to ask this :
What could be the reason for retiring the Clemenceau?
Why cant she be created into a training ship?
What makes the Lexington any better to train?
Why cannot she be mothballed like the Invincible trio are planned to?
herme
By: sealordlawrence - 16th January 2006 at 00:02
A bit of news about clemencaus last journey.
By: hawkdriver05 - 15th January 2006 at 23:58
Shame the French didn’t turn her into a museum……..
By: swerve - 15th January 2006 at 21:53
india is suficent steell making knowlege we dont want any scrap for that.india making own steel for this purpose order already filled for that.
Scrap’s useful for any steelmaker. Saves money. No sense cutting off your nose to spite your face.
By: mirza2003 - 15th January 2006 at 14:04
i had doubt indian court give permission to scrap it in india althogh deal is clear by govermeant but court had own vision and this ship is had heap load of bad scrap.
india is suficent steell making knowlege we dont want any scrap for that.india making own steel for this purpose order already filled for that.
By: koxinga - 7th January 2006 at 03:56
She’s on her way to Alang.
Argh, I thought a grand old lady like her deserved better than the shipbreakers in India. It is a ugly sight there, ships being beached and cut to pieces like beached whales.
By: Francois5 - 4th January 2006 at 04:22
Had a chance to visit the Clem the year she was decomm’d.
She was in a pretty bad shape, and re-work would cost the price of a new boat.
When life is reaching its end, it is not usefull to try to re-vive it. It won’t work.
Had to scrap it.
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd January 2006 at 20:09
The 3 CVF comment is a bit misleading, the french boat will have only a single Island and different electronic fits, to all itents and purposes they will be completely different ships.
Source?
Maybe you are thinking of the DCN/Thales design?
By: sealordlawrence - 2nd January 2006 at 11:30
The 3 CVF comment is a bit misleading, the french boat will have only a single Island and different electronic fits, to all itents and purposes they will be completely different ships.
By: suflanker45 - 2nd January 2006 at 09:25
The PA2 is the follow on carrier to the Charles De Gaulle. Originally she was supposed to be an improved version of the CDG (nuclear powered) but due to CDG’s techical problems and cost overruns the French redesigned the PA2 for conventional power. They had come up with their own design but in another cost saving move they joined the British CVF program. If everything goes as planned there will be three CVF’s built. Two for England with ski ramps and one for France with catapults.
As for her trip to India for scrapping its standard that any ship is stripped of any useful equipment before scrapping. Her hull will be seaworthy but she will be towed by an ocean going tug. The steel that is used in shipbuilding is very high quality so when she is scrapped the steel will be melted down and recast to build other ships. Hell, her steel maight even wind up in India’s new carrier that they are building.
By: hermes - 2nd January 2006 at 08:26
what PA 2 deal?
even if she were stripped would the super structure be gutted too?
is the hull seaworthy for the journey and will she make it on her own steam?
herme
By: lukeylad - 1st January 2006 at 21:42
there u gan then once she been stripped i doubt the french would have made new parts 4 her
By: Arabella-Cox - 1st January 2006 at 14:43
They also allowed the Brazilians to strip Clemenceau for spare parts.
By: lukeylad - 1st January 2006 at 12:48
the carrier was retired because she was too old for french needs all be it the foch was sold on but the foch was in better condition. she was needing more and more dock time to keep her running plus she’s loaded with asbestos which france has a real aversion too. She’s only just got permission to be towed to india for scrapping.
By: Shadow1 - 31st December 2005 at 19:11
The Clémenceau is too old to kept in service as a viable weapons system. A refit would have cost too much money and considering the fact that the Rafale uses a different launch system than the one used on the old ship, they would have had to gut the old system out and replace it with the appropriate one.
As a training carrier, it would have been pretty useless as French naval aviators are trained by the US Navy in Florida. Transforming the Clémenceau into a training vessel would have been another waste of money which could have been used elsewhere.
Maybe, they could have reffitted her to become an amphibious assault ship similar to the LHD class of ships. But that to would have cost a load of Euros needed for more advanced weapons presently being developed.
By: hawkdriver05 - 31st December 2005 at 18:45
Right on the button! She is just too old and too manpower intensive.
By: suflanker45 - 31st December 2005 at 15:52
If I were to guess I would say the answer to all your questions is money. The French Navy just doesn’t have the money to operate her. Her age is another factor and the French apparently think the PA2 deal will happen.
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December 31, 2005 at 3:40 pm