Doing a little research on this HERMES carre from 1977, I learned that the French Navy has throughout its history named five of its ships L’Indomptable, the Invincible or Unbeatable, beginning with a double-deck 80-gun ship which fought the British at the Battle of Trafalgar in October of 1805.
Designed by Pierre Peron in 1977
Another Indomptable followed in 1810 and was captured by the English only three years later. In 1877 another Indomptable this one a coastal battleship or armored warship made her maiden voyage and remained in service until 1910.
The fourth L’Indomptable was a destroyer and put into service in 1933. Unfortunately, she was scuttled in Toulon in November 1942 to keep her from falling into enemy hands during Germany’s occupation of Vichy.
This brings us to the fifth and final ship, the ballistic missile submarine L’Indomptable which is at the center of Pierre Peron’s 1977 carre.
L’Indomptable HERMES scarf celebrates the submarine and namesake, which was in service from 1976 until 2005. She was one of five Le Redoutable-class (ballistic missile) submarines built between 1964 and 1982. In 2016 her deconstruction began and with it the era of the French ballistic missile submarines ended.
But luckily for us, her legacy lives on in Peron’s fabulous carre! Just like its namesake, the HERMES L’Indomptable carre is indomitable!
