Naval Group floats French nuclear attack submarine Perle.

According to a tweet published by Naval Group on November 18, 2022, the French firm Naval Group floats Rubis class nuclear attack submarine Perle after repairs.
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French Rubis class nuclear attack submarine Perle. (Picture source: Naval Group)

Perle is a first-generation nuclear attack submarine of the French Navy. The boat is the sixth and last of the Rubis series. Construction began on the submarine on 27 March 1987. The boat was launched on 22 September 1990 and entered active duty service on 7 July 1993.

On 12 June 2020 at 10:35 a.m., a fire started at bow of Perle, while in drydock for maintenance and repair at the military port of Toulon.

While continuing refit in dry dock at the arsenal in Toulon, Perle experienced another fire on 26 September 2022. Prior to the fire, the submarine had been slated to return to service in the first quarter of 2023.

The Rubis class is a series of nuclear-powered attack submarines operated by the French Navy. The class comprises six vessels, the first entering service in 1983 and the last in 1993, with another two being canceled.

The submarines of the class measured 73.6 meters (241 ft 6 in) long overall with a beam of 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) and a draught of 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in). The Rubis class had a standard displacement of 2,400 t (2,400 long tons) surfaced and 2,600 t (2,600 long tons) submerged.

The boats are of single-hull construction made of 80 HLES high elasticity steel and the forward diving planes are situated high on the conning tower. The Rubis class can dive to depths over 300 m (980 ft).

The submarines are powered by a CAS-48 pressurised water nuclear reactor creating 48 megawatts utilising 7% low-enriched uranium, driving two 3,950-kilowatt turbo-alternator sets. These power a single propeller creating 7,100 kilowatts (9,500 shp). At low speeds, the submarines use natural circulation to reduce noise emissions.

In case of a reactor failure, the Rubis class have a emergency electric motor powered by batteries supplied by a SEMT-Pielstick 16PA4 diesel generator set creating 480 kW. Using the emergency power unit, the vessel has a range of 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) and endurance for 15 hours.

Sharing sensors and weapons with the Agosta class, the Rubis class mount four 533-millimetre (21 in) torpedo tubes forward. The submarines have storage for a mix of 14 F17 Mod 2 torpedoes and SM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.