Tourville (S637) is a French nuclear attack submarine (SNA).[4] After the Suffren and Duguay-Trouin, it is the third of six Suffren-class submarines in the Barracuda program, the French Navy's second-generation nuclear attack submarine. Like several French naval ships before her, she is named after Vice-Admiral and Marshal of France Anne Hilarion de Costentin de Tourville.[5]
Construction began on 28 June 2011, at Cherbourg.[5] She first set sail in July 2024.[4] A few weeks later, on 11 September, the Red crew of the new submarine was formed at a ceremony at Fort Saint-Louis, Toulon. Just over two weeks after her departure, Tourville returned to Cherbourg for a technical intervention to apply a few corrective measures.[6] The submarine was delivered to the navy and entered active service on 16 November 2024.[7]
Service
One of her first missions was a visit to Canada in March 2025 to test cold water performance. It targeted a possible Canadian buy of French subs by its navy. [8]
References
- ^ "France's Future SSNs: The Barracuda Class". Defense Industry Daily. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (8 February 2015). "Exclusive Interview With The French Navy On The Barracuda SSN Program". navy-recognition.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ a b Vavasseur, Xavier (13 July 2024). "France's 3rd Barracuda Type Submarine Begins Alpha Trials". Naval News. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Le troisième SNA du type Barracuda s'appellera Tourville | Mer et Marine". www.meretmarine.com (in French). 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "Le SNA Tourville revient à Cherbourg pour une intervention technique | Mer et Marine". www.meretmarine.com (in French). 20 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (19 November 2024). "Naval Group livre le Tourville, troisième des six nouveaux SNA de la classe Suffren". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKSKWI40fI0 official french source retrieved 2025/03/14