A French nuclear-powered attack submarine left locals bewildered after it surfaced in an eastern Canadian province, just 300 miles from the U.S. border.
The French Navy Suffren submarine, the FS Tourville, arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia earlier this week.
Unsubstantiated claims quickly spread online that it was in response to Donald Trump’s annexation threats after the president repeatedly called on Canada to become the 51st U.S. state and named departing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “governor.” Those rumors, however, were quickly quashed.
The FS Tourville made its way across the Atlantic after the Royal Canadian Navy announced its plans to invest C$60 billion ($42 billion) to renew its aging submarine fleet, according to French national newspaper Le Parisien.
France and Canada signed a joint declaration in September, while Trump was still on the 2024 campaign trail, to strengthen their partnership in defense and security.
“A pleasure to welcome French submarine #Tourville to Halifax. Allies and friends working together. Enjoy your stay,” the office of Lieutenant Governor Nova Scotia Mike Savage wrote on X Thursday.
According to Canadian news channel CTV News, the submarine is expected to remain in the harbor until March 21.
The FS Tourville is 99 meters long, displaces 5,200 tons when submerged, and can dive to a depth greater than 350 meters.
The French naval sub is powered by a nuclear reactor, which provides substantial endurance and operational autonomy and can reach speeds of over 25 knots.
It’s armed with naval cruise missiles, F21 heavy wire-guided torpedoes, and modernized Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles.
The stealthy and highly-equipped sub is said to be suitable in all oceans and can be out at sea for more than 270 days per year, allowing it to be used for intelligence missions.
Ottawa intends to put between six and 12 new submarines into service, with the Navy’s first replacement submarine to be delivered by 2035. A supplier is due to be selected by 2028.
The Naval Group, which finished building the FS Tourville at its Cherbourg-en-Cotentin shipyard last summer, is reportedly attempting to land the contract after a request for information from Canada last month, according to Cherbourg-based newspaper La Press de la Manche.
According to the French Embassy in Canada, the FS Tourville is expected to carry out experiments in the far north of Canada and test navigation in icy conditions.
“After experiments with basic ground-laying in the Canadian far north and navigation in ice, Franco-Canadian cooperation was strengthened with the stopover of the SNA TOURVILLE, the latest attack submarine,” Bruno Heluin, the Defense Attaché at the French Embassy in Ottawa posted on LinkedIn Monday in a post translated by Google.
“This Marine Nationale ship has just made its first transatlantic crossing. It is an excellent opportunity to share operational, human and industrial expertise. At a time when Canada is announcing that it wants to revive its submarine capacity, France can undeniably bring a unique know-how.”
“Stronger together,” he signed off.
Source: independent.co.uk