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The current French ensign is not identical to the French flag. Though both are blue, white and red, the French naval ensign has those colours in the proportion blue 30, white 33, and red 37. The intention was to create a flag which, when seen moving at some distance, would appear to have columns of equal width; in addition, the slightly wider red column is intended to improve the flag's visibility at sea.

René Duguay-Trouin (1673 - 1736) was a famous French corsair of Saint-Malo. He had a brilliant privateering and naval career and eventually became “Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies of the King” (admiral) and a Commander in the Order of Saint-Louis. Ten ships of the French Navy were named after him.

Jean Bart served in the Dutch navy under De Ruyter. When war broke out between Louis XIV and the United Provinces in 1672 he entered the French service, as one of the Dunkirk Privateers. He gained distinction in the Mediterranean, where he held an irregular sort of commission, unable due to his low birth to receive a command in the navy. He had such success, however, that he became a lieutenant in 1679 and rose to the rank of captain and eventually admiral. In 1694, during the Nine Years War he captured a huge convoy of Dutch grain ships, saving Paris from starvation.

Louis-Antoine, comte de Bougainville (1729 Paris - 1811 ) was a French admiral and explorer. In 1766 Bougainville received from Louis XV permission to circumnavigate the globe. He would become the first Frenchman, to sail around the world. Thirteen ships of the French Navy have been named in his honour.

Lieutenant Général des Armées Navales François-Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse was a French admiral, best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led directly to the British surrender at Yorktown. De Grasse was decisively defeated the following year by Admiral Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes, where he was captured. He was widely criticised for this, and on his return to France he demanded a court martial which acquitted him of fault.

Bucentaure was an 80-gun ship-of-the-line of the French Navy. At the Battle of Trafalgar, she was Villeneuve’s flagship and commanded by Captain Jean-Jacques Magendie. Raked by HMS Victory she lost 197 killed and 85 wounded (including Captain Magendie). After three hours of fighting, she surrendered to Captain James Atcherly of the Marines from HMS Conqueror. Villeneuve is supposed to have asked to whom he was surrendering. On being told it was Captain Pellew, he replied, “There is no shame in surrendering to the gallant Sir Edward Pellew.” When he was informed that the Conqueror’s captain (Israel Pellew) was Sir Edward’s brother, he said, “England is fortunate to have two such brothers.” In the following days, Bucentaure’s crew rose up against the British prize crew, and recaptured the ship. However, she was wrecked in a storm two days later.

Napoléon was a 90-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, and the first purpose-built steam battleship in the world. She is also considered the first true steam battleship, and the first screw battleship. Launched in 1850, she was the lead ship of a class of 9 battleships, designed by the naval designer Dupuy de Lôme.

Forbin is an anti-air destroyer, lead ship of the Horizon class. Her task is protecting aircraft carriers, capital ships or civilian ships from supersonic missile attacks; her complement of medium-range anti-air missiles allows her to support the defences of another ship under attack and avoid their saturation. She is also capable of monitoring and controlling operations carried out from the sea by friendly aircraft.

The Triomphant class of strategic missile submarines of the French Navy are designed to provide the sea based component of the French 'force de frappe' (nuclear deterrent), with the M45 SLBM.

The French Navy bagpipe band Bagdad de Lann Bihoué