Rubis class
 The sapphire
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The Rubis- class ( SNA72 ) is a class of nuclear-powered submarines of the French Navy . The boats of the class, which were put into service in the 1980s as a replacement for the conventional submarines of the Aréthuse class, are the smallest and most compact nuclear-powered submarines in the world.
The hunting submarines are the tactical counterpart to the larger French strategic with intercontinental ballistic missiles armed submarines Triomphant class .
The Suffren class is planned as the successor from around 2017 .
Building history
At the beginning of the 1960s, the French Navy began planning and building a nuclear hunting submarine. The design, which displaced 4000 ts, was abandoned in 1968 and never got beyond the planning phase.
The nuclear powered class SNA72 was later developed from the diesel-electric powered Agosta class , which is also called the Rubis class after the type ship Rubis . The fire control system, the sonar system and the torpedo armament were adopted from the template. The main differences to the Agosta class were, in addition to the nuclear propulsion, a slightly larger hull diameter, which allowed the installation of three decks, and the relocation of the forward depth rudder from the bow to the tower . The greatest technical challenge was the development of a small pressurized water reactor suitable for the construction with a displacement of only 2,600 ts .
The first four units were built between 1976 and 1988. These boats were mainly designed for use against surface ships. They were considered relatively loud compared to the corresponding British and US drafts, but were otherwise on par.
The two most recently built boats Améthyste and Perle were much more modern, which is why they are also known as the Améthyste class . These boats were optimized for the fight against submarines, had improved sonar equipment, more modern electronics and were quieter.
Between 1989 and 1995 the older four boats were modernized accordingly and raised to the technical level of the Améthyste class, which is why the term Améthyste class is sometimes used as a synonym for the entire Rubis class in the literature .
Originally the construction of two more submarines was planned. At the beginning of the 1990s, however, the corresponding plans were abandoned. The planned eight submarines were to be split between two flotillas . One flotilla was intended to protect the base of the strategic submarines of the " Force de frappe " in Brest on the Atlantic , the other was to be stationed in Toulon on the Mediterranean . Ultimately, Toulon became the home base of the six boats built, although the submarines often operate in the Atlantic Ocean and sometimes worldwide.
Mission history
The first known operation was the evacuation of French agents after they had bombed the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior .
At least one boat of the class was used in the Second Gulf War in 1990. During the Kosovo War of 1999 at least two boats of the class were in service. The Rubis class was also used in the war in Afghanistan in 2002 .
According to confidential military sources, one of the unspecified submarines made a navigational error in the waters off Norway in the summer of 2007 , whereupon this boat ran into an underwater reef and had to stop in Brest for repairs.
Boats of the class
| Identifier | Surname | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | modernization | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S601 | Rubis (formerly: Provence ) | December 11, 1976 | 7th July 1979 | February 23, 1983 | 1992-1993 | on active duty |
| S602 | Sapphire (formerly: Brittany ) | September 1, 1979 | September 1, 1981 | July 6, 1984 | 1989-1991 | July 2019 out of service |
| S603 | Casabianca (formerly: Bourgogne ) | September 19, 1981 | 22nd December 1984 | May 13, 1987 | 1993-1994 | on active duty |
| S604 | Émeraude | October 1982 | April 12, 1986 | September 15, 1988 | 1994-1995 | on active duty |
| S605 | Amethysts | October 31, 1983 | May 14, 1988 | March 3, 1992 | on active duty | |
| S606 | pearl | March 22, 1987 | September 22, 1990 | July 7, 1993 | on active duty | |
| S607 | Turquoise | planned, not built | ||||
| S608 | diamond | planned, not built |
literature
- Chris Chant: Modern Submarines Engineering Tactics Armament. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 1st edition 2005, ISBN 3-7276-7150-5
- Robert Hutchinson: Fight Under Water - Submarines from 1776 to the Present. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 1st edition 2006, ISBN 3-613-02585-X
- Werner Globke (Ed.): Weyers Flottentaschenbuch / Warships of the World - Fleet Handbook. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn, 66th year 2005–2007, ISBN 3-7637-4517-3
Web links
- Rubis class at naval-technology.com (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ The name means ruby in the French language and goes back to the Rubis submarine used in World War II .
- ↑ The name means sapphire . The type ship of the sapphire class used in World War II also bore this name.
- ↑ Louis de Casabianca was a French naval officer under Napoleon Bonaparte . At least two other French warships also bore this name (see Casabianca (ship name) ).
- ↑ Émeraude means emerald . The name was used earlier for French submarines (see Émeraude (ship name) ).
- ↑ Améthyste is the acronym for "AMElioration Tactique, HydrodYnamique, Silence, Transmission, Ecoute", which means "tactical, hydrodynamic, noise suppression and propulsion development". The name also stands for the gemstone amethyst . The Améthyste is the first French warship to bear this name.
- ↑ The name means pearl . A Saphir- class submarine bore this name during World War II .
- ↑ Turquoise means turquoise . A Saphir class boat bore this name during World War II .
- ↑ The name means diamond . A Saphir class boat bore this name during World War II .
Rubis class:
Rubis |
Sapphire |
Casabianca |
Émeraude
Améthyste -class :
Améthyste |
pearl
See also: List of French submarine classes