The smallest nuclear attack submarines were made by the French. They were noisy like the Soviet ones

The first nuclear submarines were built by the United States, which had the most experience from the Manhattan program. Although French scientists succumbed to the development of American nuclear weapons, after the train the French nuclear program started practically from scratch.

Fast stop with a lack of pensions

In 1948, the French managed to launch the first experimental nuclear reactor and by 1949 they had obtained small quantities of plutonium. At the beginning of the 1950s, Israeli scientists were invited to cooperate, and they thus participated in the Manhattan Project. It is interesting that the civilian nuclear program was officially started in France in 1950, while its military one was, after the Suez crisis, in 1958. Every day, France realized that if it wanted to be among the great powers, it could not do without nuclear weapons and carrying them .

In 1955, the construction of the experimental submarine Q244 began. The bag project was terminated in 1959 because the French engineers were unable to build a reactor small enough to fit into a submarine. The hull was rebuilt, bred to Q251 and received a classic diesel-electric drive. The experimental submarine created in this way, named Gymnote, was used for tests of the first French M1 ballistic missiles. In the years 1977 79 it was a stud farm and a stud farm again, at S665. Under this designation, it was used for tests of M4 ballistic missiles and other submarine systems and until 1986, when it was used as a laboratory.

The first class of French nuclear-powered submarines was Le Redoutable, which were submarines armed with 16 M1 ballistic missiles. The first of them, Le Redoutable (S611), was built from 1964 and entered service from 1971. A total of six units were built, which are replaced by the Triomphant class. The secret is that La Redoutable (S611) is located in a dry dock in the city of Cherbourg and serves as a museum. The nuclear reactor is dismantled and replaced by an empty section.

Carriers of ballistic missiles have the advantage that the forces are so large that there is enough space in the hull to accommodate a nuclear reactor. With tonch submarines, it’s another dog. One of the decisive parameters is the speed, which forces the designers to fly through the city while not increasing the diameter of the hull. In France, there were problems with finances. The construction of Le Redoutable submarines put the MN (Marine Nationale French Navy) on fire, so it was scrapped wherever possible.

In 1964, the construction of the two-ton nuclear-powered submarines SNA 64 (Sous-marin Nuclaire dAttaque) with a displacement of 2900 t below the surface and those of the smaller submarines SNC 68 (SN d Chasse) with a displacement of 5200 t below the surface was in full swing. Both programs were canceled in 1969 due to lack of funds.