Charles de Gaulle (R91) — French Aircraft Carrier Model, 36 in
Charles de Gaulle (R91) — French Aircraft Carrier Model, 36 in
How big is it?
Length about 91 cm / 36.0 in. Drawn to scale; the model outline is a simplified shape.
Model details
- Size
- 36 in / 91 cm
- Construction
- Handcrafted
- Condition
- Fully assembled, ready to display
- Display
- Wooden base with brass nameplate
- Collection
- Battle Ship Models
- Item no.
- CM586
The larger edition of France's nuclear carrier — six extra inches, which on a flight deck buys a noticeable amount of visible detail.
Specification
- 36 inches
- Handcrafted hull and superstructure
- Angled flight deck with catapults, arrestor wires and deck markings
- Island, radar arrays, masts and deck aircraft
- Mounted on a display base with nameplate
- Fully assembled
Choosing the size
On a carrier, scale matters more than it does on most warships. The flight deck is the ship's defining feature and it is mostly flat area — deck markings, aircraft, catapult tracks, elevators. Six inches of extra length is roughly a 40 percent increase in deck area, and all of it is detail you can see.
The ship
Commissioned in 2001 and the flagship of the French Navy, Charles de Gaulle is the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operating under a flag other than the United States. Her two reactors are the same type used in French ballistic missile submarines, and she can run for years between refuellings.