On June 23, 2026, under the chairmanship of Vice Admiral Xavier Petit, Admiral commanding the Strategic Oceanic Force (ALFOST), and in the presence of Vice Admiral Benoit de Guibert, operational commander of the Channel and the North Sea, the nuclear attack submarine (SSN) Perle lowered its colors for the last time.
Since 1993 and the commissioning of the submarine in Cherbourg, crews have taken turns maneuvering, on missions, during maintenance periods, thus contributing to the full success of France’s weapons.
Despite the 2020 fire destroying the entire forward area, sailors, engineers and industrialists rose to the challenge of refloating the Perle, allowing it to serve for five more years.
On this occasion, ALFOST thanked the sailors for their professionalism and dedication during the final months of the Perle ‘s service. It also strongly commended the excellence of the defense industrial and technological base (BITD), which continues to ensure the safe operation of submarines today. Symbolically, ALFOST presented two advanced certificates of honor to armament engineer Christophe Mangeant (DGA) and Ms. Muriel Lenglin (Naval Group) to recognize and reward their expertise.
After 33 years of service, more than a million nautical miles travelled, more than 100,000 hours of diving under all the seas of the globe, the SNA Perle proudly takes its final bow.