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 long by wide; it is angled at 8 degrees off of the ship's axis. The flight deck is 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 catapults is at the bow to port, the aft catapult is on the forward area of angled landing deck. The hangar deck dimensions are with overhead.
History
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. 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. But from 1953, the Navy had to revise its ambitions downwards, with a target of three aircraft carriers. The PA 54Clemenceau, budgeted in 1953, was delayed until November 1955, the PA 55 Foch, budgeted for 1955, was delayed until February 1957. Between 1980 and 1981, she underwent a study to certify the platform before catapulting aircraft, carrying missiles, bombs, AM-39 Exocet and tactical nuclear bombs. Like her sister ship, Foch underwent a modernization and refit, replacing four of her eight guns with two Crotale air-defense systems. Unlike Clemenceau, Foch also received in 1997 two Sadral launchers ; those launchers were purchased by France in 1994. The Dassault Rafale was test flown from Fochafter deck modifications in 1992 and operated from this carrier after further 1995-6 deck modifications. After a 37-year career in the French Navy, on 15 November 2000, the carrier was sold to the Brazilian Navy, and renamed. In the French Navy, she was succeeded by .
Principal operations
Main naval operations for the époque were conducted by the twin carrier Clemenceau. Foch was engaged in the following:
1966: Foch participated, with Alfa Force, to the campaign of French nuclear experimentation in the Pacific.
1993 - 1999 : Foch was regularly engaged in Operations Balbuzard, Salamandre and Trident in the Adriatic Sea during the engagement of France in ex-Yugoslavia within the cadre of FORPRONU and the SFOR and KFOR. The carrier ensured the security of French elements deployed on the ground, and conducted aerial raids under the command of the United Nations and NATO.
Combat history
In 1977 F-8 Crusaders from 14.F squadron from Foch participated in the Saphir missions over Djibouti. On 7 May 1977, two Crusaders went separately on patrol against what were supposedly French Air Force F-100 Super Sabres stationed at Djibouti. The leader intercepted two fighters and initiated a dogfight as part of the 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. In October 1984, France sent Foch for Operation Mirmillon off the coast of Libya, in response to tension in the Gulf of Sidra. She was involved in the Yugoslav Wars between July and August 1993, in February and March 1994, and in February and from May to July 1994 in support of UN operations. She also was part of NATO's Allied Force operations with Super Étendards flying strike missions over Serbia in 1999. She was forced to withdraw early four months into her deployment, the longest in her service history, due to problems with her catapult system and other issues. In 2000, Foch made her last deployment by leading Task Force 473 on a four-month around-the-world tour.
In fiction
Foch was featured prominently in the 1995 film Crimson Tide as the setting for several television news reports about the ongoing conflict in Russia. Foch was used in this role after the U.S. Navy refused to assist in the film's production, thus removing the possibility of filming on board a U.S. carrier. Foch also appears briefly in Tom Clancy's 1986 techno-thriller novel Red Storm Rising forming part of a NATO task force which also includes the aircraft carriers and. In an attack by Soviet Tu-22M bombers, Foch is hit by three anti-ship missiles and sunk. Foch appears as a playable unit in the RTS game in the 'Second Korean War' DLC.
