Another Fire on French SSN Perle

Following the 2020 fire another fire broke out on French Rubis-class SSN, Perle, on September 26, 2022 .

The Defense Post reports this 2022 fire occurred:

“…onboard as [Perle's repairs] in the Mediterranean port of Toulon neared completion, officials said [September 27, 2022].

Around 90 firefighters were called to extinguish smoldering on board “La Perle” which is thought to have broken out in insulation “in a storage area used for food,” a spokesman for the local maritime authority, Pierre-Louis Josselin, told AFP.

The incident was described as “combustion without flames” and all hotspots were extinguished by firefighters on [September 26, 2022] evening...."

Pete Comment

Perle had been slated to return to service in the first quarter of 2023. We’ll see if the fire has delayed the return.

Perle is one of five Rubis-class SSNs remaining.

Meanwhile Suffren of the larger replacement Barracuda-class was commissioned in November 2020 and the second Barracuda Duguay-Trouin is slated to be launched later in 2022.

My impression is that fires on submarines seem to occur most often during refits (like this 2022 fire), repairs, maintenance or upgrades - with welding or cutting tools setting insulation alight.