A French sailor appears to have accidently revealed the position of an aircraft carrier after recording a run on the fitness app Strava while jogging on deck.
The crew member logged a 4.3-mile workout lasting around 35 minutes as he ran laps aboard the Charles de Gaulle while it sailed towards the eastern Mediterranean on March 13.
Data from the run was uploaded to a public Strava account, effectively pinpointing the vessel’s location in near real time, French newspaper Le Monde reported on Thursday.
Satellite imagery taken shortly afterwards is said to show the distinctive outline of the 262-metre-long warship in the same area.
France‘s flagship carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, had been deployed to the region by President Emmanuel Macron in the days following US-Israeli strikes in late February, as tensions with Iran escalated.
The nuclear-powered vessel, the only one of its kind outside the US Navy, had initially been taking part in exercises in the North Atlantic before being rerouted.
Speaking on board just days before the incident, Macron said France would stand by its allies and protect key shipping routes, adding that the deployment demonstrated the country’s role as a ‘balancing power’.
While the carrier’s presence in the region was not secret, Le Monde noted the sailor had effectively disclosed its precise location.
A French sailor appears to have accidently revealed the position of an aircraft carrier after recording a run on the fitness app Strava while jogging on deck (stock image of Charles-de-Gaulle)
The crew member logged a 4.3-mile workout lasting around 35 minutes as he ran laps aboard the Charles de Gaulle while it sailed towards the eastern Mediterranean on March 13. Pictured: Anonymized post showing the race recorded at sea, March 13, 2026
The outlet had previously warned about the risks posed by publicaly shared fitness data, having used strava activity to uncover sensitive movements of world leaders’ security teams and even patrol routes of French nuclear submarines.
When contacted, the French Armed Forces General Staff stated that posting the running route on the Strava app ‘does not comply with current regulations,’ to which ‘sailors are regularly made aware.’
It added that ‘given that digital hygiene for combatants is a prerequisite before any deployment, appropriate measures will be taken by the command’.
This is not the only sailor who accidently gave away their location using Strava in recent days.
At least one other public profile posted photos of their sporting activities, revealing the ship’s location. Other public profiles also feature photos of the deck, other military personnel, and sports equipment inside the ships
The incident comes as tensions remain high in the Middle East, with the Strait of Hormuz – a critical route for around a fifth of the world’s oil supply – effectively closed amid the conflict.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the French government – along with Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada – said they would ‘contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait’.
It comes as Donald Trump has called for US forces to open a new front in Iran as jets pound Iranian ships in an all-out battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Global fuel supplies have been under intense pressure because of Iran´s stranglehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
American forces have sent low-flying A-10 Warthogs and Apache attack helicopters to shoot at Iranian ships and drones.
The Pentagon is trying to nullify danger from Iranian weapons and reopen the strait, which has only seen about 90 ships cross since the war began.
The belief is that US military warships could act as an escort for ships to get in and out of the region through the strait.
Air Force general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan ‘Raizin’ Caine said the mission is taking the attack ships to the southern Iranian coast.
‘The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,’ he said Tuesday.
He added that the Apaches have ‘joined the fight on the southern flank’ and said that some allies have used them to ‘handle one-way attack drones.’
However, The Wall Street Journal reported that it could take weeks for the US to clear out the strait to get it operating closer to normal again.
At the same time, the US has been striking Iranian bases and IRGC cruise missile batteries, taking out over 120 of the country’s naval ships, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Thursday.
Iran has responded by using small, unmanned boats with explosives, projectiles and airborne drones to attack enemy ships.
