Latest French Nuclear Attack Submarine's Reactor Started for First Time

The French Navy's nuclear attack submarine, SNA 'Duguay-Trouin,' started its nuclear 'boiler room' for the first time on September 30, ahead of sea trials and delivery to the navy in 2023.
The nuclear submarine is currently being completed and tested in Cherbourg submarine base.
The start-up of the boiler room, called "divergence," carried out with the support of the submarine's armament crew, consists in triggering for the first time a controlled nuclear reaction in the heart of the ship's nuclear propulsion reactor, the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) said today.
For the project management of the onboard nuclear reactor, the DGA relies on TechnicAtome for the design and construction of the nuclear 'boiler rooms,' and on Naval Group for the production of the associated main capacities and the integration of the boiler rooms on board the sub- sailors.
Ordered in 2009 by the DGA, the SNA Duguay-Trouin was transferred from the Naval Group construction hall in Cherbourg to the launching system in November 2021.
After testing the equipment installed on board, it was put water in the Cachin basin in the summer of 2022. The start-up of the nuclear boiler room, or first divergence, which consists in ensuring the proper start-up of its reactor, marks a major milestone in the verification of the proper functioning of the propulsion before sea trials and then delivery scheduled for 2023.

The nuclear attack submarines of the Barracuda program are faster, more durable and more versatile than previous generation SNAs. Their new capabilities include carrying special forces and striking land targets located several hundred kilometers away using naval cruise missiles. They represent a technological leap that allows France to remain in the very restricted club of nations that implement modern and high-performance SNAs.
The four other submarines in the Barracuda program ( Tourville, de Grasse, Rubis and Casabianca ) are currently at various stages of construction, and their deliveries will be staggered until 2030.