According to information published by Guilherme Wiltgen on February 3, 2023, the former Clemenceau class aircraft carrier Sao Paulo (Foch) was sunk by the Brazilian Navy.
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Former Brazilian aircraft carrier NAE Sao Paulo. (Picture source: Marinha do Brazil)
The ship was first commissioned in 1963 by the French Navy and was transferred to Brazil in 2000, where it became the new flagship of the Brazilian Navy.
Despite its designation as the flagship, São Paulo suffered from serviceability issues and was only able to operate for a few months at a time without the need for repairs and maintenance.
On 14 February 2017, the Brazilian Navy announced the ship's demobilization and decommissioning. In 2021, the carrier was sold to be scrapped, but after Turkey rejected permission to dock, the Brazilian Navy scuttled the ship in the Atlantic Ocean on 3 February 2023, some 350 km off the Brazilian coast in 5,000 meters of water.
The Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers were designed to have a displacement of 24,200 tons standard and 32,800 tons full load, with a length of 265 meters, a beam of 51.2 meters, and a draft of 8.6 meters.
The ship was powered by 6 Indret boilers and 4 steam turbines that produced 126,000 horsepower, allowing it to reach a speed of 32 knots. The complement was 1,338 men, including 64 officers, with a capacity to carry up to 40 aircraft, including the Super Étendard, Étendard IVP, F-8E (FN) Crusader, Alizé, Dauphin Pedro and Super Frelon helicopters.
The ship was also equipped with a variety of sensors and processing systems, including air search and approach radars, as well as fire-control radars, and was armed with various weapons, including 100mm turrets and machine guns, as well as Sadral launchers for Mistral missiles.
