| French submarine Saphir (S602) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career (France) |  |
| Namesake: | Sapphire |
| Laid down: | 1 September 1979 |
| Launched: | 1 September 1981 |
| Commissioned: | 6 July 1984 |
| Decommissioned: | July 2019 |
| Renamed: | renamed Saphir in 1980 |
| Homeport: | Toulon |
| Fate: | Decommissioned |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Rubis class submarine |
| Displacement: | 2600 t (2400 t surfaced) |
| Length: | 73.6 m |
| Beam: | 7.6 m |
| Draught: | 6.4 m |
| Propulsion: |
Pressurised water K48 nuclear reactor (48 MW) ; 2 turbo-alternators ; 1 electric motor (7 MW); one propeller |
| Speed: | over 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range: | - |
| Endurance: | 45 days |
| Test depth: | over 300 m |
| Complement: |
10 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
DMUX 20 multifonction |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: | ARUR 16 |
| Armament: |
[1] 4 x 533mm tubes.
|
The Saphir (S 602) is a first-generation nuclear attack submarine of the French Navy. She was to be named Bretagne but was renamed Saphir in 1981.
She is the second of the Rubis series. Between October 1989 and May 1991, she undertook a major refit which upgraded her to the level of the Améthyste.
In September 2001, she torpedoed and sank the ex-destroyer D'Estrée expended as a target ship off Toulon.
On 6 March 2015 it was reported that in a later erased blogspot of the French Ministry of Defence that during a training exercise off Florida Saphir, in her role as part of the "enemy" attack group, had "sunk" the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its escort.[2][3]
After 35 years of active service, Saphir was decommissioned in July 2019, making her the first Rubis-class SSN to be decommissioned. Saphir will be replaced by a new Barracuda-class SSN.[4] In October 2020 it was announced that the submarine Perle would be repaired using the forward section of her decommissioned sister Saphir. The repair was to begin in January 2021 with envisaged completion in 2023.[5]
Notes and references[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/rubis/
- ↑ http://theaviationist.com/2015/03/05/us-aircraft-carrier-sunk-by-subs/
- ↑ http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2015/03/06/l-us-navy-loue-les-aptitudes-du-sna-saphir-a-penetrer-les-defenses.html
- ↑ https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/07/last-cruise-for-french-rubis-class-ssn-saphir-suffren-about-to-take-over/
- ↑ https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2020/2020/10/euronaval-france-to-repair-fire-damaged-ssn-perle-with-forward-section-of-ssn-saphir/
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