Sinking fast: French aircraft carrier set to defend Britain breaks down



The French aircraft carrier which is set to play a key role in defending Britain over the next decade has broken down.

As President Nicolas Sarkozy prepares to use a London summit this week to announce that RAF jets will fly from the carrier Charles de Gaulle, his naval chiefs have told him that she is no longer seaworthy.

‘She is meant to be heading to Afghanistan but is instead in her home port with a faulty propulsion system,’ said a French Navy source.



Scrap metal: The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is no longer seaworthy, according to French officials

After Britain’s defence review last week, it looks certain that the UK and France will pool resources by each having one aircraft carrier towards the end of the decade.

But Britain will have to rely on the Charles de Gaulle till at least 2020 while the UK’s new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is being built. This follows the scrapping of the Ark Royal and its Harrier jump jets.

The de Gaulle’s captain, Hugues du Plessis d’Argentri, said the 16-year-old vessel was not as efficient as she used to be, despite a three-year refit.

He said his ship’s nuclear reactor would have to be given time to ‘cool down’ before vital repairs were carried out.

And he warned that it might even be Christmas before the carrier could resume her mission to Afghanistan.