France cuts two nuclear-powered submarines in half to make one new one
An intense 14-hour-long accidental fire on the attack submarine Perle while it was in dry dock for repairs last June left the front section of the boat unusable, according to the French Defense Ministry. It suffered structural damage to steel components that could not be repaired.
But the rear half of the 241-foot-long (73 meters) submarine, which has a displacement of 2,600 tons, was not damaged during the fire at a shipyard in Toulon, southern France.
Luckily for the French navy, one of the Perle’s sister boats, the Saphir, which was retired from service in 2019, was awaiting dismantling at a shipyard in the northwestern port of Cherbourg.
The Saphir’s front section was structurally sound, and French officials determined it could be mated with the rear of the Perle to make one serviceable attack submarine.
The damaged Perle was moved from Toulon to Cherbourg on a semi-submersibile ship in December.
Workers cut the Perle in half in February and did the same to the Saphir in March,…
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