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SAPHIR
SUBMARINE
Submarine Saphir was laid down on 1 September 1979. She was commissioned on 6
July 1984. Saphir is the second of
six Rubis-class nuclear attack submarines built for the
French Navy. Rubis is the first generation of French
nuclear attack submarines. At 2,630 tons submerged and
241 feet long the Rubis class may also be the smallest
nuclear combatants ever put to sea. Each submarine has a
crew of just 70 and a speed of 25 knots underwater. The Rubis subs
each have four bow torpedo tubes.
In March 2015, the Saphir submarine sunk one of the
largest nuclear-powered warships in the world--the
aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt. The carrier strike group
included several Ticonderoga-class guided missile
cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and a Los
Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine. Saphir was to
locate the Roosevelt and get into position to sink her.
The submarine reportedly “sank” Roosevelt and most of
its escorts.
After the exercise was over, Saphir’s commander met
with Rear Admiral Richard Butler, Commanding Officer of
Carrier Strike Group 4 and Vice Admiral Nora Tyson,
Deputy Commander, US Fleet Forces Command.
On March 4th, 2015 the French Navy announced in a blog
post that the submarine Saphir had simulated stalking
and killing the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Not only
was the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier simulated sunk
but an unknown number of her escorts. The post was
quickly deleted without comment from the blog. Several
defense outlets picked up on the deletion, and the
state-sponsored Russia Today crowed that a “major
vulnerability” had allowed submarine Saphir to penetrate
Roosevelt’s screen.
After 35 years of active service, Saphir was
decommissioned in July 2019. In October 2020 it was
announced that the Perle would be repaired
using the forward section of her decommissioned
submarine sister Saphir.
This primarily wood Saphir submarine model is
21" long x 8" tall x
4" wide
(1/144)
$1,590
 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other
places: $200 flat rate.
For different sizes,
contact us for a quote:
Services@ModelShipMaster.com.
For different
French submarine, click here:
Surcouf.
For another submarine
that sank an aircraft carrier in a naval exercise:
Gotland.
Learn more about the
Saphir submarine here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Saphir_(S602)
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