French submarine Émeraude (S604)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Émeraude.
Émeraude near Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer in early morning
History
France
NameÉmeraude
NamesakeEmerald
Laid downOctober 1982
Launched12 April 1986
Commissioned15 September 1988
Decommissioned12 December 2024[1]
HomeportToulon
StatusDecommissioned
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%;[2] 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

Émeraude was a nuclear attack submarine from the first generation of attack submarines of the French Navy. Having been in service since 1988, she was retired in 2024.[4][5]

The boat was 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.[6] 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.[7][8]

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.[9]

In February 2021, the submarine successfully concluded a passage of the South China Sea.[10]

In October 2024, Émeraude departed Toulon for the final time, transitting to Cherbourg for her decommissioning but taking part in exercises with the Moroccan Navy enroute.[11] On 15 November 2024, the submarine arrived in Cherbourg to be decommissioned.[12]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (13 December 2024). "Cherbourg : dernière cérémonie des couleurs pour le SNA Émeraude". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d "SSN Rubis Amethyste Class – Naval Technology". Archived from the original on 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  4. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (13 December 2024). "Cherbourg : dernière cérémonie des couleurs pour le SNA Émeraude". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "10 Killed on French Submarine". The Washington Post. 31 March 1994. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  8. ^ "10 Die in French Submarine Accident". The Buffalo News. 30 March 1994. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016.
  9. ^ "More bodies found near Air France crash site". Reuters. 2009-06-07. Archived from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (25 October 2024). "Le SNA Émeraude attendu à Cherbourg avant la mi-novembre". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  12. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (19 November 2024). "Le sous-marin Émeraude a rejoint Cherbourg pour y être désarmé". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 19 November 2024.