[Super_Dave_D]

RPKESQ - you are really going to defend the de Gaulle??? It cant compare to a Nimitz class carrier!!! What a POS and it even looks ugly!

The Charles de Gaulle has suffered from a variety of problems [see James Dunnigan's "How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier"]. The Charles de Gaulle took eleven years to build, with construction beginning in 1988 and entering service in late 2000. For comparison, constructino of the American CVN 77 began in 2001 with a projected delivery in 2008. The 40,000 ton ship is slower than the conventionally powered Foch, which she it replaced. The propellers on the CDG did not work properly, so she recycled those of the Foch. The nuclear reactor was problematic, with the engine crew receiving five times the allowable annual radiation dose. The flight deck layout has precluded operating the E-2 radar aircraft.

I did a little comparison with the de Gaulle and the George Washington. Keep in mind that the Washington is two times larger than the de Gaulle

GW de Gaulle
Laid down 1986 1989
Commissioned 1990 1994
In Service 1992 2001

4 years for the GW from start to commission (bottle broken over her) and 2 years into service

The de Gaulle took 5 years from start to commission and another 7 years to work out the issues.