Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

Palfinger
  • News
  • Event News
    • Indo Pacific 2022
    • Sea Air Space 2022
    • DIMDEX 2022
    • WDS 2022
    • DSEI 2021
    • MADEX 2021
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» News»Video: Fire breaks out aboard French Navy Rubis-class Submarine ‘Perle’

Video: Fire breaks out aboard French Navy Rubis-class Submarine ‘Perle’

On June 12, at 10:35 am, a fire broke out in the fore zone of the French Navy Rubis-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) ‘Perle’.

Xavier Vavasseur 15 Jun 2020

The SSN was in dry dock, undergoing a major overhaul at Toulon naval base in Southern France, where all French Navy Rubis-class submarines are home ported.

The blaze was put out at 12:50 am the next day, after more than 14 hours of a fight that mobilized a hundred firefighters and more than 150 sailors in support.

There was no nuclear fuel on board , this having been removed as part of the technical shutdown. There were no weapons such as missiles or torpedoes, ammunition and no batteries on board either.

The damages sustained by Perle may be significant given the duration of the blaze. Should Perle not be able to return to active duty, the consequences may be serious for the French Navy as it would leave a large capability gap affecting the French submarine force as well as the security of the French nuclear deterrence.

This would leave the French Navy with only 4 operational SSNs. The Rubis-class SSN Saphir, second boat of the class, was decommissioned in July 2019. The next class of SSN, the first ship-in-class Suffren , which started sea trials recently, won’t be fully operational until 2021.

Following her inspection of the Perle, the french minister of armed forces said most of the ship’s equipment such as sonars and combat systems were not aboard and are therefore intact. She added that should the Perle be fixable, everything will be done to repair it.

The U.S. Navy had a similar experience dealing with a fire aboard the Los Angeles class submarine USS Miami in 2012. That fire, which was also during an overhaul, lasted 12 hours and caused so much damage that the boat had to be written off. That fire was started deliberately by a dockyard worker hoping that the alarm would get him off work early.

French Navy Rubis-class SSN Submarine 2020-06-15
Tags French Navy Rubis-class SSN Submarine
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More

Authors

Posted by : Xavier Vavasseur
Xavier is based in Paris, France. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Xavier has been covering naval defense topics for nearly a decade.

Related Articles

French Navy Plans on Sending FREMM Frigate to Next RIMPAC

French Navy Plans on Sending FREMM Frigate to Next RIMPAC

Xavier Vavasseur 29 Jun 2022
The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is planning to send one of its frontline and most recent vessel, an Air Defense FREMM, to the next RIMPAC exercise in 2024. For this year's edition which started today, a Floreal-class surveillance frigate is participating.
Russia’s Third Project 885M (Yasen-M) Submarine Starts Sea Trials

Russia’s Third Project 885M (Yasen-M) Submarine Starts Sea Trials

Naval News Staff 28 Jun 2022
The third Project 885M nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSGN) Krasnoyarsk (Yasen M / NATO reporting name: Severodvinsk-class) currently under construction at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk set out for its first sea trials in the White Sea.
Turkey’s STM begins construction of 500-ton submarine ‘STM500’

Turkey’s STM begins construction of 500-ton submarine ‘STM500’

Tayfun Ozberk 27 Jun 2022
Turkish defence company STM announced on June 26, 2022 that it has begun construction of the 500-tonne "STM500" submarine.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved