 The Casabianca |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Rubis |
| Operators: |  Marine Nationale |
| Preceded by: | Daphné |
| Succeeded by: | Barracuda |
| In commission: | 23 February 1983 |
| Planned: | 8 |
| Completed: | 6 |
| Cancelled: | S607 Turquoise (canceled) S608 Diamant (canceled) |
| Active: | S601 Rubis (ex-Provence) S602 Saphir
(ex-Bretagne) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | nuclear attack submarine |
| Displacement: | 2400 t (surfaced) 2600 t (submerged) |
| Length: | 73.6 m |
| Beam: | 7.6 m |
| Draught: | 6.4 m |
| Propulsion: | Pressurised water K48 nuclear reactor (48MW) ; 2
turbo-alternators ; 1 electric engine (7 MW); one
propeller 1 diesels-alternators SEMT Pielstick 8 PA 4V 185 SM - one auxiliary engine, 5 MW. |
| Speed: | over 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range: | Essentially unlimited distance; 20 years |
| Complement: |
10 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
DMUX 20 active/passive sonar |
| Armament: |
Anti-submarine : 4 x 533mm tubes for F17 mod2
torpedoes |
The Rubis type is a class of first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy. They are the most compact nuclear attack submarines to date.
All submarines of the class (except for Casabianca) are named after gemstones.
Contents |
Although the Rubis belonged to the same generation as the Redoutable class, due to President Charles De Gaulle insistence on acquiring a nuclear deterrent for France, the program was started only in 1974, after the SSBN program. The first of class Rubis was laid down in December 1976 and launched in 1979.
The initial design of the Rubis proved to be problematic with unexpectedly high noise levels. This lead to the Amethyste silencing program (AMÉlioration Tactique HYdrodynamique Silence Transmission Ecoute) which was applied to the fifth (S605 Améthyste) and sixth (S606 Perle) hulls.
The Améthyste and Perle were both longer that the original Rubis, 73.6 metres as compared with 72 metres and the program included upgrades to the sonar, reshaping of the hull form and bow to improve silencing and additional upgrades of the electronics. With the upgrades tested and proven, the original 4 boats were rebuilt to the same standards between 1989 to 1995.
During the Péan inter-allied manoeuvres of 1998, Casabianca managed to "sink" USS Eisenhower and her Ticonderoga class escort cruiser[1]
They have a central computer system for submarine detection, processing of information, and firing of weapons. The hull is made of 80 HLES high elasticity steel. The sonar dome and the conning tower are made of composite materials. The submarines have two crews, "Blue" and "Red", who man the ships every three months in turn.
They will be succeeded by the 2nd-generation Barracuda class.
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  | Oil Spills as Nuclear Sub Hits a Tanker Off France - Oil Spills as Nuclear Sub Hits a Tanker Off France - The New York Times |
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