10 Most Powerful Navy Ships in The World Today

3. Charles de Gaulle-class

One active ship in the French Navy:

With 42,500 tons, the Charles de Gaulle is the largest Western European ship, at least until the British launch the Queen Elisabeth-class sometime in 2017. She serves as the flagship of the French Navy and is the only nuclear-powered carrier outside the United States Navy. Designed to carry 40 Rafale M aircraft, the Charles de Gaulle provides serious firepower to the French Navy. The construction of the ship was marred with problems, and it took 11 years to finish her. Once in service, the problems continued, with a faulty nuclear reactor that never achieved its projected power output, making the de Gaulle slower than her conventional powered predecessors of the Clemenceau-class. Its radiation output is also very high, as the crew received five-times the allowed annual dosage while on board the carrier.