29 March 1967: launch of the submarine Le Redoutable
“France’s defence must be French [...] If a country like France is to make war, it must be its own war. Its war effort must be its own.” Thus declared Charles de Gaulle in 1959. The first president of the Fifth Republic wanted France to become an independent power, by joining the closed circle of countries that had nuclear weapons. On 3 February 1960, the first bomb went off in the Algerian desert, ushering in a new era for France: that of nuclear deterrence. A genuine strategic asset still active today, one of the pillars of which was the submarine Le Redoutable, launched on 29 March 1967.
Corps 1
Guard of honour on the bridge of Le Redoutable. © Jean BOUVIER/ECPAD/Défense
The French military submarines
The history of the submarine Le Redoutable
The submarine Le Redoutable at the Cité de la Mer, Cherbourg. © Claire LEBERTRE/DICoD/Défense
Nuclear deterrence today
- Read an article by Catherine Biaggi and Laurent Carroué:
Affirmer sa puissance : forces sous-marines et dissuasion nucléaire, enjeux géographiques et géostratégiques (Asserting power: submarine forces and nuclear deterrence, geographic and geostrategic issues – in French)
- • Discover the French Navy’s current fleet of SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines)
- • Watch a documentary on the channel C'est pas sorcier !
Events to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the launch
- • To commemorate this 55th anniversary, the prestigious French Navy pipe band, the Bagad de Lann-Bihoué, will be performing at the Théâtre à l’Italienne, Cherbourg, on 28 March 2022. Book your tikcets
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Photos of the submarine and its launch in Cherbourg
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
© Service historique de La Défense, Vincennes
Vue aérienne sur le SNLE Le Redoutable lors de sa première sortie en mer. © René-Paul BONNET/ECPAD/Défense
Le poste de pilotage du Redoutable. © Jean BOUVIER/ECPAD/Défense
