Former flagship of the French Navy, the aircraft carrier "Foch", which passed under the Brazilian flag in 2000, will be sunk in the Atlantic due to the deterioration of its hull, announced the Brazilian authorities.
Described as a “30,000 ton toxic package”, the old 265 m long hull is filled with asbestos, paint and other toxic waste, according to several environmental organizations.
The Brazilian navy considered that there was no other choice given its very degraded state and that “a spontaneous sinking” of the hull was inevitable in the long term.
1963. The aircraft carrier "Foch" was commissioned on July 15, 1963 in Brest (Finistère).
Started in Saint-Nazaire in 1957, her hull was launched on July 13, 1959 and then towed to Brest.
The construction of the ship continued in the Breton port from 1959 to July 23, 1960, when the building was floated in the presence of the marshal's family.
Max DPI/ZumaPress
1963. On February 11, the troupe of the Comédie Française poses in front of the aircraft carrier “Foch” just before a performance.
AFP
1988. The singer Johnny Hallyday on the bridge of the "Foch" surrounded by young foam during the recording of the TF 1 program called "Les Gars de la Une" at the invitation of Yves Mourousi and Léon Zitrone.
AFP/Georges Bendrihem
1999. The landing craft wait, between two rotations of Super-Etendards on the aircraft carrier, on May 20, in the Adriatic Sea, off the Italian coast.
The ship takes part in NATO's military aerial warfare over Yugoslavia.
AFP/Thomas Coex
2000. A French sailor from the "Foch", renamed "Sao Paulo", greets a Brazilian sailor on November 15 in Brest, after the transfer ceremony during which the aircraft carrier was officially handed over to the Brazilian Navy, after 37 years in the service of France.
AFP/Fred Tanneau
2001. Under the gaze of two sailors, the former aircraft carrier "Foch" left the military port of Brest for good on February 1, heading for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AFP/Emmanuel Pain
2011. The aircraft carrier "Sao Paulo" by the Brazilian Navy.
Brazilian Navy/ Reuters