On 12 June 2020, a major incident occurred in Toulon, which resulted in the Rubis SNA Perle-class nuclear attack submarine catching fire in the dry dock. The bow of the boat was so damaged as a result of the fire that it would be wise to simply scrap it. However, the French government decided to take measures almost as ambitious as building a new submarine.
Under the supervision of Fleet Support, the Naval Group received a contract to transport the damaged submarine to Cherbourg and continue work on refueling, repairing and modernizing the intact stern of the Perle, as well as cleaning it from large volumes of firefighting foam. . The later decommissioned submarine SNA Saphir was taken and its stern was cut off.
The interlocking of the two parts was like an organ transplant. This, along with the most advanced cutting and welding technology, meant the exact alignment of the two hulls where even the slightest deviation could be catastrophic.
Then it was time to renew the interior decks as well as connect hundreds of pipes, cables, wires and miscellaneous systems.
According to the Naval Group, this required 300 people, 100,000 engineering hours, 2,000 updated plans and design documentation, 250,000 production hours, 2,000 electrical connections and one million hours of maintenance and repairs.
Source: Ferra
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