A fire broke out on the French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at 11:30 on 5/10, the French Navy reported. The blaze ignited in a technical compartment, approximately 10 square meters, located near the ship's aircraft hangar at the Toulon naval base. The crew immediately began fighting the fire, supported by firefighters from the Toulon base who arrived shortly after.
The fire was brought under control at 12:35 and fully extinguished by 13:50.
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The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in Toulon, France on 27/1. Photo: French Navy |
The aircraft hangar was empty at the time, as the Charles de Gaulle was undergoing maintenance. The French Navy determined the cause was "workers using blowtorches to cut metal".
The Charles de Gaulle returned to port for maintenance in late August, with completion expected in December. Prior to this, the French warship had operated in the eastern Mediterranean region, addressing threats from the Middle East conflict.
The Charles de Gaulle is the largest warship in service in Western Europe and the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier globally not operated by the US Navy. It was launched in May 1994 and first put to sea in May 2001.
The ship is 261 meters long, 64 meters wide, and has a full-load displacement of 42,500 tons. Its nuclear engines enable the Charles de Gaulle to travel at a maximum speed of 50 km/h, with an unlimited operational range, constrained only by provisions for up to 45 continuous days. Nuclear refueling intervals typically span 20-25 years.
The Charles de Gaulle can carry up to 30-40 various types of aircraft, with its primary weapon being the carrier-borne Rafale M fighter jets. The ship is also equipped with four clusters of Aster 15 medium-range surface-to-air missile launchers, two clusters of Mistral short-range surface-to-air missile launchers, and three Narwhal close-range cannons.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, Anadolu, Figaro)
