French submarine Suffren

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Suffren.
Suffren at Cape Brun off Toulon on 26 July 2020
History
France
NameSuffren
NamesakeAdmiral comte Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren
BuilderNaval Group
Laid down19 December 2007
Launched1 August 2019
Commissioned6 November 2020[1]
In service3 June 2022[2]
General characteristics
Class and typeSuffren-class submarine
Displacement
  • 4,765 t surfaced
  • 5,300 t submerged
Length99.5 m (326 ft 5 in)
Beam8.8 m (28 ft 10 in)
Draught7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
  • K15 nuclear reactor, 150 MW (200,000 hp)
  • 2 x Turbo-generator groups: 10 MW (13,000 hp) each
  • 2 x emergency diesel generators 480 kW (640 hp) each
  • 1 x pump-jet electrically driven
Speed
  • >25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph), submerged
  • 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph), surfaced
RangeUnlimited
Endurance70 days of food[3]
Complement
  • 12 officers
  • 48 petty officers
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Hull and flank sonar Thales UMS-3000
  • SYCOBS
  • SEACLEAR
  • Velox-M8
Armament

Suffren (Q284/S635)[6] is a French nuclear attack submarine. It is the lead ship of the Suffren class, stemming from the Barracuda program. The vessel, like several others before it, is named after Vice-Admiral Pierre André de Suffren.[7]

The Suffren was laid down on 19 December 2007 and launched on 1 August 2019 at Cherbourg. It was commissioned on 6 November 2020;[8] while full operational service had originally been anticipated in 2021, this was pushed back into 2022 after further testing/trials by the French Navy.[9] Pursuant to testing the submarine was then declared fully operational on 3 June 2022.[10]

  1. ^ "New Suffren Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine officially commissioned by French Navy".
  2. ^ "Le SNA Suffren admis au service actif". 3 June 2022.
  3. ^ "France's Future SSNs: The Barracuda Class". Defense Industry Daily. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Nouvelle génération de torpille lourde pour la Marine nationale : la F21" (PDF). Naval Group. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  5. ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (8 February 2015). "Exclusive Interview With The French Navy On The Barracuda SSN Program". navy-recognition.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  6. ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (27 November 2021). "Naval Group Rolls Out 2nd Barracuda Type Submarine". Naval News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  7. ^ MIOQUE, Nicolas (25 March 2019). "Suffren : « Suffrène » ou « Suffrin » ?". Trois-Ponts! (in French). Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  8. ^ "New Suffren Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine officially commissioned by French Navy".
  9. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (7 January 2022). "Le Suffren dans l'attente de son admission au service actif". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. ^ "French Navy's 1st Suffren-Class Nuclear Powered Submarine Enters Service". Naval News. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.