France Pulls Charles de Gaulle From Arabian Sea for Repairs, Sends Mistral in Its Place (opens in new tab)

France's only aircraft carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, is leaving the Arabian Sea for scheduled repairs in Toulon in early July — a rotation long planned before its deployment to the Middle East. Paris will keep skin in the game: the Mistral helicopter carrier steps in as France tries to hold its place in the Hormuz standoff without its flagship.