Naval Group
Naval defence company based in France
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Key Takeaways
- Naval Group is a French industrial group specialising in naval defense design, development and construction.
- Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales ( DCAN ), which became Direction des Constructions Navales ( DCN ) in 1991 and then DCNS in 2007, the company was rebranded Naval Group in 2017.
- 25%) and Thales Group (35%).
- History Naval Group has a heritage of almost 400 years.
- Others were to follow.
Naval Group is a French industrial group specialising in naval defense design, development and construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris, France.
Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales (DCAN), which became Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) in 1991 and then DCNS in 2007, the company was rebranded Naval Group in 2017. Its two main shareholders are the French State (62.25%) and Thales Group (35%).
As of 2024, Naval Group employs 15,261 people across 17 countries.
History
Naval Group has a heritage of almost 400 years. Major shipyards were built in France in Brest (1631), Nantes-Indret (1771), Lorient (1778) and, subsequently, Cherbourg (1813). Others were to follow. As early as 1926, what we know as the Naval Group today already had all the facilities now owned by the group in mainland France.
The birth of the naval dockyards
In 1624, Cardinal Richelieu, who was King Louis XIII's Prime Minister, devised a policy meant to expand France's maritime capabilities. This policy was put into practice from 1631, with the creation of the Ponant fleet in the Atlantic and the Levant fleet in the Mediterranean, the foundation of the Brest dockyards as well as the extension of the Toulon dockyards built under King Henri IV.
The policy was continued by Colbert, Louis XIV's Navy Minister, who developed several major dockyards. He extended the dockyards in Toulon, ordered the excavation of the docks in Brest and founded the Rochefort dockyards. His son, Seignelay, who succeeded him in 1683, followed in his footsteps.
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