Guillerm, Luc-Christophe Équipages

Vie à bord & traditions des marins de la Royale

The French Navy is one of the few remaining institutions that can rightly take pride in the human dimension of its crews. The moment the last mooring line of a ship is cast off, a unique world emerges in a matter of moments. A group of men and women leaves the mainland to share a collective experience in a self-contained environment, far removed from family lifeunited by a specific mission in the service of France. Weeks and months of absence. The constraints of living in close quarters. Often grueling working conditions. And yet, the ever-recurring longing to set sail once more. For a sailor, daily life at sea is an ordinary experience within an extraordinary worlda fascinating blend of contrasts between action and tradition. Yet a crew is more than just a group of sailors; it takes shape and lives within an environment that shapes it in turn, revolving around three essential elements: the ship, the sea, and the ports. Together with the men and women themselves, these three elements form the central thread of this book. The photographs were taken during deployments aboard key vessels of the French Navyranging from renowned ships like the aircraft carrier *Charles de Gaulle* and the helicopter carrier *Jeanne dArc* to less conspicuous patrol boats, avisos, frigates, and schooners, as well as nuclear submarines and missile-equipped vessels.