Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DSEI Japan 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
    • Sea Air Space 2022
    • DIMDEX 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» News»Fire-Damaged SSN Perle on its way to Cherbourg for Repairs and Overhaul
Fire-Damaged SSN Perle on its way to Cherbourg for Repairs and Overhaul
On December 10, 2020 in Toulon, departure of the Perle nuclear attack submarine (SNA) aboard the Rolldock Storm. ©Guillaume Izard/Marine Nationale/Défense

Fire-Damaged SSN Perle on its way to Cherbourg for Repairs and Overhaul

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) announced that the Rubis-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) Perle left Toulon naval base on Thursday, December 10, 2020. The submarine was loaded aboard semi-submersible vessel Rolldock Storm to be transported to the Naval Group shipyard in Cherbourg to be repaired.

Xavier Vavasseur 10 Dec 2020

This transfer follows the decision taken on October 22, 2020 by Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, to proceed with the repair of the Perle. During the fire which lasted 13 hours, the high temperature altered the the quality of the submarine’ steel in the forward section of the hull. As a consequence, the forward section of Perle will be cut off and the forward section of another Rubis-class SSN, the Saphir, will be welded back to Perle‘s aft section. The Rubis-class SSN Saphir (second boat of the class) was decommissioned in July 2019.

The Perle SSN was put back in the water ahead of its loading aboard Rolldock Storm. ©Loïc Bernardin/Marine Nationale.

“The loading of the Perle SSN aboard the Storm and its departure to Cherbourg symbolically marks the beginning of the reconquest of the Perle. After repairs, the submarine will have regained its technical potential and will be fully operational until the planned date of its decommissioning, with the Rubis-class SSNs being gradually replaced by the Suffren-class SSNs, while maintaining the format of the SSN fleet of six submarines”.



General Engineer (DGA) Guillaume de Garidel, Director of Fleet Support.
©Enzo Lemesle/Marine Nationale/Défense

Cutting, hull welding and connection work will be carried out in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. They will be followed by a return to Toulon where the submarine will resume the overhaul, which was interrupted in June. This repair, although exceptional, is a controlled industrial operation. Operations of this type have already been carried out on submarine hulls in France and abroad. It will be carried out in compliance with all the conditions required for the safety and operational capacity of the submarine.

About Perle’s fire

Firefighters Battled the French SSN 'Perle' Blaze for 14 Hours 1
French firefighters battling the blaze of the Marine Nationale SSN “Perle” well into the evening hours on June 12. ©Thibaut Claisse/Marine Nationale/Défense

For the record, on June 12, at 10:35 am, a fire broke out in the fore zone of the Rubis-class SSN Perle in a basin within the naval base of Toulon (South of France). 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.

Perle’s fire leaves a capability gap affecting the French submarine force as well as the security of the French nuclear deterrence. The French Navy is left with only 4 operational SSN. The next class of SSN, the first ship-in-class Suffren , which started sea trials this year, won’t be fully operational until 2021.

About French Navy Rubis-class SSN

French Navy picture

According to Covert Shores’ World Submarines Recognition Guide, The first of the six Rubis-class submarines was commissioned in 1983 and the final one in 1993. They are the smallest nuclear-powered submarines in the world with a length of just 73.6 meters and a submerged displacement of 2,600 tons.

From the beginning, the boats were disapointingly noisy and failed to achieve some of the performance objectives (such as top speed). As a consequence, the French Navy and industry embarked on the Amethyste upgrade program in 1989. AMETHYSTE stand for Amélioration tactique, hydrodynamique, silence, transmission, écoute (Silent Acoustic Transmission Tactical Hydrodynamic Improvement). It brought a number of upgrades including a major change to the hull form and bow. By 1995, all six boats of the class had been upgraded.

Rubis-class submarine specifications

  • Displacement: 2,400 tons surfaced; 2,600 tons submerged
  • Length: 73.6 meters (241 feet)
  • Beam: 7 meters (25 feet)
  • Speed: 18 knots surfaced; 25+ knots submerged
  • Depth: 300 meters (984 feet) operational
  • Propulsion: K48 pressurized water reactor (64,000 hp); 2x turbo-alternators; 1x 9400 hp electric motor, one shaft
  • Complement: 70 sailors
  • Weapon systems: 4x 533mm torpedo tubes for 14x F17 torpedo or 14x Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles
  • Sensor systems: DMUX-20 active/passive sonar; DSUV-62C towed array
French Navy Rubis-class Submarine 2020-12-10
Tags French Navy Rubis-class 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 Mission Jeanne D’Arc 2023 to Sail Across Indo-Pacific

French Mission Jeanne D’Arc 2023 to Sail Across Indo-Pacific

Xavier Vavasseur 03 Feb 2023
French Navy (Marine Nationale) Mistral-class LHD "Dixmude" and La Fayette-class frigate "La Fayette" will sail around the world and through the Indo-Pacific as they set sail next week for "MISSION JEANNE D'ARC 2023".
French Navy receives First VFM Interceptor

French Navy receives First VFM Interceptor

Naval News Staff 03 Feb 2023
On January 05, 2023, The French DGA received the first "VFM" interceptor boat. It will be used by the French Navy for the protection of naval bases and critical assets.
VSR-700 VTOL UAV Successfully Tested Over Water

VSR-700 VTOL UAV Successfully Tested Over Water

Xavier Vavasseur 01 Feb 2023
The DGA validated the technical capabilities of the VSR-700 vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a maritime test phase in December 2022.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved