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Saphir was a first-generation nuclear attack submarine of the French Navy. Saphir was the second of the Rubis series. The boat was originally to be named Bretagne, but the name was changed to Saphir before commissioning in 1981.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Le Saphir |
| Namesake | Sapphire |
| Laid down | 1 September 1979 |
| Launched | 1 September 1981 |
| Commissioned | 6 July 1984 |
| Decommissioned | July 2019 |
| Homeport | Toulon |
| Fate | Decommissioned July 2019[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Rubis-class submarine |
| Displacement | 2600 t (2400 t surfaced) |
| Length | 73.6 m (241 ft) |
| Beam | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Draught | 6.4 m (21 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Endurance | 45 days |
| Test depth | over 300 m (980 ft) |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | ARUR 16 |
| Armament |
|
Service history
editBetween October 1989 and May 1991, the boat undertook a major refit which revolved around upgrades to the level of the lead vessel in the class, Améthyste.
In September 2001, the boat torpedoed and sank a target ship, the decommissioned destroyer D'Estrées, 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.[4][5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
Decorations
editThe fanion of Saphir and the men's boat were decorated with the Cross for Military Valour with bronze palm on June 5, 2012.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "End of Mission for the Saphir ... Waiting for the Suffren".
- ^ https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/18321557.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "SSN Rubis Amethyste Class, France". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "U.S. aircraft carrier and part of its escort "sunk" by French submarine during drills off Florida". theaviationist.com. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ L'US Navy loue les aptitudes du SNA Saphir "à pénétrer les défenses", Ouest France
- ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (6 July 2019). "Last Cruise For French Rubis-Class SSN 'Saphir' – 'Suffren' About To Take Over". Naval News. France. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Euronaval: France to Repair Fire-Damaged SSN Perle with forward Section of SSN Saphir". 22 October 2020.
References
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