Contenu
Both these employees spent four days and four nights onboard the submarine, an “awe-inspiring adventure”, during trials in the Atlantic Ocean. As Onboard Manager, Laurence represented Naval Group for the crew and representatives from the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) as well as the trials representatives from the French Navy. She was also responsible for managing the team of Naval Group specialists onboard including Thierry.
When you ask Laurence about life onboard, she smiles as she recalls those extraordinary moments. While this wasn’t her first dive, it was exceptional all the same! 94 persons were embarked for these sea trials when Duguay-Trouin is only designed to hold a crew of 63.“You’re obliged to let go of your home comforts!” says Laurence with a smile. “While the Naval Group team was accommodated in the Tactical Weapons Bay and places in the cafeteria were rather hard to come by, it could not take away from the fact that this experience was nothing short of extraordinary. We wanted to see and understand everything and make the most of every minute spent on board. I’ve been working on the Barracuda program since 2005 and having the opportunity to sail onboard and actually see the submarine work really gave me a real sense of accomplishment.”
Life on board isn’t plain sailing! All things considered and in spite of all the exciting discoveries, it could have been a trying experience with tests and trials in a rather unique environment, sharing living space with virtual strangers... “The team was extremely supportive, friendly and efficient,” she adds. Our employees also participated in exercises with the crew such as bringing a fire under control and putting it out. Thierry recounts, “During this exercise, we had to go into the Tactical Weapons Tank and remain still with masks on. I attempted a few callisthenics in an attempt to get an idea of the efforts deployed by the crew and provoke the same sensations. It rapidly gets quite hot, is hard to breathe and your vision clouds over, really giving you a good understanding of the difficulty these circumstances present in terms of calm and efficiency”.
There were some really memorable experiences. During one surfacing manoeuvre, Thierry had the opportunity to step outside and climb to the top of the bridge fin to watch dolphins playing alongside the submarine as the sun set. “It was simply magical!” he exclaims. As for Laurence, her position of responsibility gave her the opportunity to dine with crew officers in the Commanding Officer’s wardroom. “These moments were instructive indeed, giving us the opportunity to talk about the submarine’s performances and our respective constraints and difficulties, those faced by the crew in operating the ship and those of Naval Group in the construction and trials phases”.
Both were delighted to have taken part in these underwater trials. The experience has provided a better understanding of how the crew uses the submarine and will no doubt contribute to developing future designs even more closely tailored to their needs.
