Task Force 473 was an expeditionary force of the French Navy designed to help in Operation Enduring Freedom, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11th attacks. The task force comprised 2,900 men under the command of Contre-Amiral François Cluzel and sailed in December 2001. It consisted of the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, frigates La Motte-Picquet, Jean de Vienne, Jean Bart, the nuclear attack submarine Rubis, the tanker Meuse, and the aviso Commandant Ducuing. The French Navy deployed most of these ships around the Indian Ocean region for seven months before bringing them back to France in mid-2002. A task force (TF) is a temporary unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. ... The French Navy, officially called the National Navy (French: Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military. ... Combatants al-Qaeda, Taliban NATO, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Northern Alliance Commanders Osama bin Laden, Mohammed Omar Tommy Franks, David Fraser, Mohammed Fahim Casualties al-Qaeda dead: unknown Taliban dead: unknown Civilian dead: unknown Coalition military dead: 402 Northern Alliance dead: unknown US... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Counter Admiral is an Anglification of a naval rank found in some European navies; in the Deutsche Marine: Konteradmiral. ... The Charles De Gaulle (R91) is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). ... The La Motte-Picquet is a F70 type anti-submarine frigates of the French Marine Nationale. ... The Jean de Vienne is a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. ... The Jean Bart (D615) is an anti-air frigate of the French Marine Nationale of the Cassard type. ... The Rubis is a first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy, named after the French submarine Rubis which distinguished herself during the Second World War. ... The Durance class is a type of military tanker of the French Navy. ... An aviso is a French kind of dispatch boat. ... The A69 type Avisos are small warships mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions (notably in support missions with the FOST). ...