France cut two nuclear submarines to assemble a new one

The French shipbuilding industry had a unique solution by cutting two damaged nuclear submarines in half, taking the two halves of the hull and assembling them into one complete new ship.
The 14-hour fire on the Perle nuclear-powered submarine, while it was in dock for repairs in June 2020, left the front section severely damaged, the French Defense Ministry said.

Ship with structural damage with steel parts and cannot be restored. But the second half of the 73-meter submarine was unaffected in the fire. CNN said. Fortunately for the French Navy, a submarine of the Saphir class was decommissioned in 2019, awaiting dismantlement at a shipyard in the port of Cherbourg, northwest France. The front section of the Saphir is still very good. French officials decided to take the first part of the Saphir, combined with the rear of Perle to form a new submarine. The Perle submarine was transferred from the city of Toulon to Cherbourg on a dedicated train in December 2020. At the shipyard, workers cut the Perle in half in February and did the same with the Saphir in March. The Perle submarine was cut in half at the Cherbourg shipyard. Photo: Naval Group. In early April, the second half of the Perle and the front half of the Saphir were fixed to tow them, then welded to connect the two hull halves together. The connection of the two hull parts will be completed in the coming months, said Klara Nadaradjane, spokesman for Naval Group, main contractor. The new submarine is still called the Perle. It will be 1.4 m longer than the original, as an additional component connecting the two halves of the hull is needed. Spokesperson Nadaradjane said the connection of the two halves of the hull was simulated with a 3-dimensional digital model, before being put into practice. However, a Naval Group spokesman did not disclose the cost. The Perle, commissioned in 1993, is the newest of six French Rubis-class nuclear attack submarines. Rubis-class submarines are expected to be replaced by more modern Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarines. However, it was not until 2030 that the last of the Barracuda-class submarines was delivered to the French Navy, forcing them to find a way to repair the Perle submarine. This is the first time the French shipbuilding industry has cut two different ships in half to merge them into one complete ship. Previously, this technique was used by the US to repair their damaged submarines.