France’s flagship aircraft carrier has arrived off Crete under tight escort as regional tensions escalate, while a security lapse involving a fitness app has raised fresh concerns about operational secrecy at sea.
Strategic base at Souda Bay
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has been spotted near Crete, where the damaged US carrier Gerald R. Ford is also reportedly operating in the vicinity. The French vessel is accompanied by four escort ships. It remains unclear whether Charles de Gaulle will take part in potential strikes against Iran.
The carrier docked on Thursday morning at pier K-14 in Marathi, near the city of Chania. It is expected to remain there until April 7 before departing for exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.
Souda Bay, located on the north-western coast of Crete near Chania, is a major naval and military installation. Charles de Gaulle has served as the flagship of the French Navy since 2001 and is the country’s only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
In March, the US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford also visited Souda naval base to replenish supplies.
Fitness app breach exposes location
Separately, an investigation by Le Monde revealed that the Charles de Gaulle inadvertently disclosed its location due to the use of a fitness application by a crew member. At the time, the carrier had been deployed to a sensitive area following orders from French President Emmanuel Macron after the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.
According to the report, a French naval officer went for a run on the ship’s deck and recorded the activity using the mobile app Strava. Because the officer’s profile was set to public, the geolocation data was visible online in real time. Journalists were able to use this information to identify the approximate location of the carrier strike group, placing it in the eastern Mediterranean, north-west of Cyprus.
France’s general staff acknowledged that the serviceman’s actions did not comply with current security protocols. While the presence of the carrier in the region had not been classified, its precise coordinates had not been officially disclosed.
Hostilities in the Middle East escalated on February 28, when Israel and the US carried out strikes on Iranian territory. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the attacks. The conflict subsequently spread across the region. In response, President Macron ordered the redeployment of the Charles de Gaulle and its carrier group to the Mediterranean.
