French submarine Émeraude (S604)

Émeraude near Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer in early morning
History
France
NameÉmeraude
NamesakeEmerald
Laid downOctober 1982
Launched12 April 1986
Commissioned15 September 1988
HomeportToulon
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and typeRubis-class submarine
Displacement2600 t (2400 t surfaced)
Length73.6 m (241 ft)
Beam7.6 m (25 ft)
Draught6.4 m (21 ft)
Propulsion
  • Pressurised water K48 nuclear reactor (48 MW), LEU 7%;[1] 2 turbo-alternators ; 1 electric engine (7 MW); one propeller
  • 1 diesel-alternators SEMT Pielstick 8 PA 4V 185 SM; one auxiliary engine, 5 MW.
Speedover 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi)
Test depthover 300 m
Complement
  • 10 officers
  • 52 warrant officers
  • 8 petty officers
Sensors and
processing systems
  • DMUX 20 multifonction
  • ETBF DSUV 62C tugged antenna
  • DSUV 22 microphone system
  • DRUA 33 radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys		ARUR 13
Armament
  • 4 × 533mm tubes.[2]
  • total mixed load of 14[2]
    • F17 mod2 torpedoes[2]
    • 14 Exocet SM39[2]
  • mines

Émeraude is a nuclear attack submarine from the first generation of attack submarines of the French Navy. Having been in service since 1988, she is scheduled to be retired in 2024.[3]

The boat is the fourth of the Rubis series. Between May 1994 and December 1995, the boat undertook a major refitting, which upgraded capabilities to the level of Améthyste.

On 30 March 1994, an accidental explosion occurred in the engine compartment while the boat was engaged in a naval exercise off Toulon.[4] The explosion killed ten men, including the commander, who were examining the turbo-alternator room. The boat returned to base under diesel and battery power.[5][6]

Tampion of Émeraude

In June 2009, Émeraude was sent to the mid Atlantic to aid in the search for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the ill-fated Air France Flight 447.[7]

In February 2021, the submarine successfully concluded a passage of the South China Sea.[8]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ McCord, Cameron (June 2013), "Examination of the Proposed Conversion of the U.S. Navy Nuclear Fleet from Highly Enriched Uranium to Low Enriched Uranium", Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived 2023-05-19 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d "SSN Rubis Amethyste Class – Naval Technology". Archived from the original on 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  3. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (5 September 2023). "Le SNA Casabianca achève son dernier voyage à Cherbourg". Mer et Marine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  4. ^ Riding, Alan (30 March 1994). "10 Are Killed In French Sub On Exercises". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  5. ^ "10 Killed on French Submarine". The Washington Post. 31 March 1994. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  6. ^ "10 Die in French Submarine Accident". The Buffalo News. 30 March 1994. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016.
  7. ^ "More bodies found near Air France crash site". Reuters. 2009-06-07. Archived from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  8. ^ "Indo-Pacific: French nuclear sub prowls South China Sea". Nikkei Shinbun. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  • Sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque Émeraude netmarine.net
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