''Émeraude'' was a

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants, and merchant vessels. In the Soviet Navy, Soviet and Russian Navy, Russian navies ...

from the first generation of attack submarines of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. Having been in service since 1988, she was retired in 2024. 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 . On 30 March 1994, an accidental explosion occurred in the engine compartment while the boat was engaged in a naval exercise off

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. 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. Tapeemeraude

In June 2009, ''Émeraude'' was sent to the mid Atlantic to aid in the search for the

flight data recorder A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to colloquially as a "black box", an outdated nam ...

and

cockpit voice recorder A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to colloquially as a "black box", an outdated nam ...

from the ill-fated

Air France Flight 447 Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France. On 1 June 2009, inconsistent airspeed indications and mi ...

. In February 2021, the submarine successfully concluded a passage of the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

. In October 2024, ''Émeraude'' departed Toulon for the final time, transitting to

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

for her decommissioning but taking part in exercises with the Moroccan Navy enroute. On 15 November 2024, the submarine arrived in Cherbourg to be decommissioned.

Notes and references

Sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque ''Émeraude''
netmarine.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Emeraude Rubis-class submarines Ships built in France Cold War submarines of France Submarines of France 1986 ships

See also

Notes and references