HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant submarine collision HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant submarine collision The submarines HMS "Vanguard" and "Triomphant" collided in the Atlantic Ocean in the night between 3–4 February 2009. Both are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The Royal Navy's and the French Navy's both sustained damage, but no injuries or radioactivity releases were reported. At the time of the collision, both vessels were submerged and, according to the UK Ministry of Defence, moving "at very low speed"; both are equipped with active and passive sonar, although only the latter is used on an operational patrol. HMS "Vanguard" was on a routine patrol in the Eastern
French submarine Redoutable (S611) French submarine Redoutable (S611) "Le Redoutable" (S 611) was the lead boat of the class of ballistic missile submarines in the French "Marine Nationale". Commissioned on 1 December 1971, the boat was the first French SNLE ("Sous-marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins", "Device-Launching Nuclear Submarine"). The boat was initially fitted with 16 M1 MSBS ("Mer-Sol Balistique Stratégique") submarine-launched ballistic missiles , delivering 450 kilotons at . In 1974, the boat was refitted with the M2 missile, and later with the M20, each delivering a one-megatonne warhead at a range over . "Le Redoutable" ("formidable" or "fearsome" in French) was the only ship