HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant submarine collision across the seabed". However, a government spokesman said that there "was no compromise to nuclear safety". Hervé Morin, France's Minister of Defence, said that they "face an extremely simple technological problem, which is that these submarines are not detectable". 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
French submarine Caïman of and a submerged displacement of . Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two diesel motors and two electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of while submerged and on the surface. Their surfaced range was at , and at , with a submerged range of at . French submarine Caïman The French submarine "Caïman" was a built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in August 1924, it was launched in March 1927 and commissioned in February 1928. On 9 June, "Caïman" narrowly missed the British light cruiser off Syria. It was scuttled