Foch (French pronunciation: [fɔʃ]) was the second Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier that served with the French Navy from 1963 to 2000. The carrier was the second warship named in honour of the Marshal of France, British Field Marshal and Marshal of Poland Ferdinand Foch.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

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Foch

A port quarter view of Foch underway during exercise Dragon Hammer '92
History
France
Name	Foch
Namesake	Ferdinand Foch
Ordered	1955
Laid down	15 November 1957
Launched	18 July 1959
Commissioned	15 July 1963
Decommissioned	15 November 2000
Identification	Pennant number: R99
Fate	Sold to the Brazilian Navy
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)
Length	265 m (869 ft 5 in)
Beam	51.2 m (168 ft 0 in)
Draught	8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Installed power	6 × Indret boilers 126,000 shp (94,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 4 × steam turbines
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	1,338
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 1990s, 4 were 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

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After serving with the French Navy, the vessel was sold to Brazil and renamed São Paulo. The Brazilian Navy scuttled her on 3 February 2023 in the Atlantic Ocean.^[2]

The Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, of which Foch was the last surviving member, were of conventional CATOBAR design. The landing area was 165.5 metres (543 ft 0 in) long by 29.5 metres (96 ft 9 in) wide; it was angled at 8 degrees off of the ship's axis. The flight deck was 265 metres (869 ft 5 in) long. The forward aircraft elevator was to starboard, and the rear elevator was positioned on the deck edge to save hangar space. The forward of two 52-metre (171 ft) catapults were at the bow to port, the aft catapult was 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.^[3]

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.

But from 1953, the Navy had to revise its ambitions downwards, with a target of three aircraft carriers.^[4]

The PA 54 Clemenceau, 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 Clemenceau, Foch underwent a modernization and refit, replacing four of her eight 100-millimetre (3.9 in) guns with two Crotale air-defense systems. Unlike Clemenceau, Foch also received in 1997 two Sadral launchers (for 6 Mistral missiles each);^[5] those launchers were purchased by France in 1994.^[6]

The Dassault Rafale was test flown from Foch (but not Clemenceau) after deck modifications in 1992 and operated from this carrier after further 1995–96 deck modifications.^[7]

After a 37-year career in the French Navy, on 15 November 2000, the carrier was sold to the Brazilian Navy, and renamed Brazilian aircraft carrier São Paulo. In the French Navy, she was succeeded by Charles de Gaulle.^{[citation needed]}

Main naval operations for the époque were conducted by sister ship Clemenceau. Foch was engaged in the following:

• 1966: Foch participated, with Alfa Force (French: Force Alfa), to the campaign of French nuclear experimentation in the Pacific.
• 1978 : during the Independence of Djibouti, Foch deployed in the Red Sea in Operation Saphir II.
• 1983 : Foch participated to the support of the French contingent deployed in Lebanon within the cadre of the Operation Olifant missions. The carrier would rotate with Clemenceau providing constant on station air support to French peacekeepers in the Multinational Force in Lebanon FSMB and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL.
• 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.

Foch was featured prominently in the 1995 film Crimson Tide as the setting for several televised news reports by American journalist Richard Valeriani (playing himself in the film) 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.^[10]

• Meuse refueling Foch
• São Paulo, ex-Foch
• Super Étendard ready to be launched from Foch during the ship's 1983 deployment to Lebanon
• F-14 Tomcats overfly Foch in 1990 during an exercise.