Contenu
As Systems Engineering Manager at the Underwater Detection Department (UWD) in Toulon, she is responsible for ensuring that underwater acoustic equipment functions correctly including sonar, classification and other UWD equipment located both inside and outside the submarine’s pressure hull. This equipment, operated by Sonar Operators and “golden ears” onboard Duguay-Trouin, is indispensable to detecting, locating and identifying obstacles under water, thus safeguarding crew members’ lives.
Laëtitia is very familiar with this submarine given that for the past several years she’s been back and forth between qualification tests at the supplier’s or at the integration platform in Toulon, not to mention setting to work of equipment in Cherbourg where the submarine is integrated and assembled. Last year, while the ship was set afloat for the very first time in the launching facility, Laëtitia and her colleagues carried out tests on several equipment items making up the UWD system, deploying acoustic tools from a boat. For the first sea outing, while a part of the UWD team was onboard the submarine, the second part of the team, Laëtitia included, assisted in carrying out tests from a support vessel.
No sooner had the ship set out than she started getting an idea of the ship’s organisation and the pace of life on board. Two surface support vessels and an aircraft were required for this rather dense week-long program of trials. The Naval Group teams onboard took turns carrying out tests both in the daytime and at night under specific noise conditions. Laëtitia worked in collaboration not only with teams onboard but also with one of the two support vessels. The objective was to check the submarine’s acoustics at different diving depths in accordance with contractual requirements with tools deployed via external means.
Laëtitia very quickly felt like an integral part of a big family. With some of her other colleagues who were diving for the first time, onboard a nuclear attack submarine (SSN) at any rate, she completed her “baptism” at sea and was handed her diving logbook! She also had the opportunity to go up to the top of the bridge fin when the submarine surfaced. Ten metres of empty space below her and a neverending expanse of ocean with no land on the horizon...nothing but water and a trail of foam in the submarine’s wake. One night, she had the opportunity to learn to navigate using a sextant and to observe the Milky Way from the top of the bridge fin!
The trials went well, but time really flew by and it was soon time to return to shore. Laëtitia appreciated every moment of her stay onboard in spite of several unforeseen events! She got to see the equipment she had been working on functioning in their real environment and in an operational context. She received positive feedback directly from crew members as well as the customer and this was a real matter of pride for the entire team. This rewarding experience, the culmination of several years of work, has bolstered her sense of legitimacy. She will now no doubt be more attentive to certain details when it comes to future equipment to be installed and tests to be carried out onboard.
