In the past, when sailors did not set sail in winter to avoid danger, they would work in theaters. Their knowledge of knots, ropes, pulleys, and slings—along with their ability to maneuver quickly and in large numbers in confined spaces—made them ideal stagehands. Their world, with its traditions and superstitions, has left its mark on the theater. Conversely, the theater has also found its way into the navy. Uniforms, hierarchy, painted backdrops, symbolic objects, and staged drills are among the similarities that can be observed. In Navire amiral, French photographer Stéphane Lavoué explores these two worlds that meet in silence. Moving away from a documentary style, Lavoué creates a fictional, visual narrative based on subject matter that is inaccessible to most readers. From the bowels of a nuclear submarine to behind the scenes at the Comédie-Française, via the bridge of the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, the photographer takes us into a parallel reality, beyond all familiar reference points, where science fiction is never far away.