The nuclear attack submarine Perle, devastated in 2020 by a fire, will return to sea. repair, announced Tuesday, May 23, the Ministry of the Armed Forces. It "achieved a major milestone by performing its static dive on May 22," the ministry said, adding that the tests are "aim to ensure the submarine's ability to navigate safely."
The submersible, which entered service in 1993, had been affected by a violent fire in July 2020 during a periodic unavailability site for maintenance and repairs (IPER). The fire, presumably caused by lighting that had consumed a vinyl plastic sheet, had considerably damaged the bow of the submarine, which was then stripped of its weapons, electronic equipment and nuclear reactor.
The decision to restore it had given rise to an imposing ten-month construction site. The submarine had been conveyed to Cherbourg (Manche) on a ship. The stern of the Pearl was welded to the bow of another submarine of the same class, the Saphir, decommissioned in 2019. This 110 million euro Lego had lengthened its size by one meter and weighed down of 68 tons its total weight of 2,700 tons when submerged.
An important element of naval strategy
The Perle then returned to Toulon on the same ship to resume the maintenance work interrupted by the fire. The IPER project, carried out every ten years, consists of restoring potential to the nuclear propulsion of the ship by reloading it with uranium, controlling its installations, its armament consisting of torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, its combat system and its propulsion.
According to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Perle will resume operational service "at the end of its sea trial period after verification of its ability to navigate safely and validation of its combat systems". Its recommissioning is an important element of the navy's strategy, which is based on the presence of six nuclear attack submarines, one of whose missions is to support the nuclear ballistic missile submarines, but also to escort the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, a key element of French deterrence.
