Améthyste (S 605)
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| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Amethyst |
| Laid down: | 31 October 1983 |
| Launched: | 14 May 1988 |
| Commissioned: | 3 March 1992 |
| Homeport: | Toulon |
| Fate: | In active sevice |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Rubis class submarine |
| Displacement: | 2600 t (2400 t surfaced) |
| Length: | 73.6 m |
| Beam: | 7.6 m |
| Draught: | 6.4 m |
| Propulsion: |
Pressurised water K48 nuclear reactor (48 MW) ; 2 turbo-alternators ; 1 electric engine (7 MW); one propeller |
| Speed: | over 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km) |
| Test depth: | over 300 m |
| Complement: |
10 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
DMUX 20 multifonction |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
ARUR 13 |
| Armament: |
Anti-submarine : 4 x 533 mm tubes for F17 mod2 torpedoes |
The Améthyste is an attack nuclear submarine of the French Navy, the fifth of the Rubis type. Her name is a pun on a precious stone (Amethyst) and the acronym AMElioration Tactique, HydrodYnamique, Silence, Transmission, Ecoute ("Tactical, hydrodynamics, silence and transmission improvements"). She is the first vessel of the French Navy to bear the name.
She is a major upgrade upon the initial design of the Rubis type, and earlier units have since been refitted to meet her standards.
The Améthyste also took part in Opération Trident, the 1999 bombing campaign over Yugoslavia, by protecting the aeronaval group. Along with the Rubis, she was one of the two submarines who interdicted the Kotor straights to the Serbian Navy, thus effectively forbidding its use. She also gathered information for the coalition.
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