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The Redoutable - visit à Cherbourg-Octeville dans la Manche

Sites - Attractions
Musée de l'armée Française
Manche

The Redoutable - visit

    Allée du Président Menut
    50100 Cherbourg-Octeville
Le Redoutable - visite
Le Redoutable - visite
Le Redoutable - visite

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
2000
1963
Project launch Q-252
29 mars 1967
Launch in Cherbourg
1er décembre 1971
Active entry into service
28 janvier 1972
First operational patrol
13 décembre 1991
Withdrawal from active service
4 juillet 2000
Transfer to the City of the Sea
29 avril 2002
Open to the public
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Général de Gaulle - President of the Republic Present at the launch in 1967.
André Gempp - Army Engineer Manufacturer of the Redoutable.
Bernard Louzeau - Commander of frigate First commanding officer on entry into service.
Jacques Bisson - Commander of frigate Commander of the second crew.

Origin and history

The Redoutable is France's first nuclear launcher submarine (SNLE), a major step forward in the national deterrence strategy. Its construction, decided in 1963 as project Q-252, began in 1964 in Cherbourg under the direction of engineer André Gempp. With a length of 128 metres and a nuclear reactor, he boarded 16 M1 ballistic missiles (then M20) and a crew of 135 sailors, divided into two teams ("Blues" and "Reds") to ensure a permanent operation.

Launched on 29 March 1967 in the presence of General de Gaulle, Le Redoutable entered active service on 1 December 1971 in the Strategic Ocean Force (FOST). He conducted his first patrol in January 1972, with missions lasting up to 75 days at sea. In 20 years of service, he conducted 51 patrols, totaling 11 years in diving. Its disarmament was pronounced in December 1991, followed by a partial dismantling in Cherbourg, where its reactor slice was isolated for secure storage.

Turned into a museum ship, Le Redoutable was transferred in 2000 to the Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg-Octeville, after a complex technical operation to fail in a specially designed tarsus. Opened to the public in April 2002, it became the heart of an exhibition dedicated to nuclear propulsion, the Strategic Ocean Force and underwater exploration. Its history illustrates both French industrial excellence and the geopolitical stakes of the Cold War.

The submarine is distinguished by its technical characteristics: 80 HLES steel hull allowing dives at 300 meters, SGN navigation system developed by SAGEM, and a "smoking" design (although tobacco was banned from its first command). Among the six SNLEs in his class, he is the only one who has not benefited from the modernisation for the M4 missiles, but remains a symbol of French strategic capabilities.

His stopover in Dakar in 1991, unique in Africa for a French SNLE, also marks a notable episode of his career. After its withdrawal, the Ministry of Defence finances its museum development (25 million francs), now offering an immersive dive into the world of submariners and nuclear deterrence.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Conditions de visite : Ouvert toute l'année
  • Ouverture : Horaires, jours et tarifs sur le site officiel ci-dessus