400 Years of the French Navy

At the centre, a French sailor in the classic bachi (pom-pom cap) gazing out to sea; upper left, an aircraft carrier and helicopter; upper right, a reconnaissance aircraft; and a frigate passing in front of the sailor in the middle distance. Below the waterline: a submarine on the left and a combat diver on the right. The mint marks of the French Mint and Chief Engraver Joaquin Jimenez at the lower left, the commemoration inscription "400 ans MARINE NATIONALE" on the sailor's back, the year "2026" at the lower right, and the monogram "RF" at the top complete the maritime design.

In the early 17th century, France was not yet a major naval power. That changed fundamentally when Cardinal Richelieu, serving as chief minister under Louis XIII, began in 1624 to systematically build a state-run war fleet. Until then, the crown had largely rented ships and crews from private individuals or foreign partners. Richelieu recognized that lasting maritime strength required a permanent, permanently funded institution — and so the Marine nationale was born in its institutional form. In the following decades, the fleet grew under Louis XIV and his naval minister Colbert into the second-largest in Europe, playing a decisive role in projecting French power across the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the colonies.

Over four centuries, the French navy has profoundly transformed its mission and self-image. What began as a fleet of wooden ships of the line fighting over Caribbean trade routes and European coastal dominance has become a modern force with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines of the Force océanique stratégique, and globally deployable surface fleets. Today France is one of only a few nations in the world able to operate fully integrated maritime task groups combining aircraft carriers, frigates, submarines, and naval aviation. France's 2026 2-euro commemorative coin marks this 400th anniversary of the Marine nationale.