In March 2015, one of the largest nuclear-powered warships in the world was “sunk” by one of the smallest.
The
Saphir, a French nuclear attack submarine, reportedly penetrated the defenses of the aircraft carrier USS
Theodore Roosevelt and scored simulated torpedo hits on her. The
incident, originally reported by the French Navy, was later suppressed.
On March 4th, 2015 the French Navy announced in a blog post that the submarine
Saphir (“Sapphire”) 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 later removed without comment from the blog.
Here’s what the world knows: according to the French navy blog post (
saved and reproduced by the RP Defense blog), the exercise between
Saphir and the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group took place before an operational deployment. According to the French navy, the carrier strike group included several
Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and a
Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine.
According to
U.S. Naval Institute News, Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12) departed Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Station Mayport on March 5th for a Middle East deployment. CSG12 included the carrier Roosevelt, the
Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS
Normandy and
Arleigh Burke class destroyers
Winston S. Churchill,
Forrest Sherman, and
Farragut from Destroyer Squadron 2 provided escort.
