Contenu
This time however, it’s different. She’s in charge of the ship’s static dive and will be spending two days and two nights onboard a submarine she already knows well. In charge of the ship’s stability file, she’s got everything in gear for this sea outing. This phase represents the culmination of the work she’s put in over the past several years.
The crew and customer representatives are present in full force. Naval Group employees onboard are accommodated in the Tactical Weapons Tank. Constance knows that the coming days onboard are going to be intense.
The trials begin and this is the first time Duguay-Trouin will be completely submerged. First, the submarine must dive to its bridge fin and adjustments must then be made before diving to periscope depth. The ship’s transverse stability is then tested by shifting twenty tonnes of lead weights from port to starboard and back again. Next, the list angles are measured and a few hundred litres of water are then moved from bow to stern via the trim system to check longitudinal stability. Finally, the ship returns to the surface to measure the values of the submarine’s surfacing draughts, important information for crew members when preparing for all future dives. If the values measured by crew members when leaving the shore are not included in the window calculated during trials, the submarine could find itself in a situation of difficulty when taking its dive. The transversal stability test is then repeated once the submarine surfaces.
Time flies onboard Duguay-Trouin and tests to be carried out keep Constance and her team thoroughly occupied.
Constance returns to terra firma after two days at sea. The trials were a success and the customer is satisfied. The young woman barely noticed how time flew by on the submarine and she really looks forward to the opportunity of repeating this wonderful experience!
