The NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) is now certified for use on the four Loire-class support ships of the French Navy.
The certification came following a series of successful tests of the system on Garonne, the fourth ship in the Loire-class, in the last week of October. The tests also covered the training of rescue crews and trials of associated equipment, which includes a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used for inspecting distressed submarines prior to actual rescue operations being executed.
Garonne and its sisters are now designated as motherships for the NSRS, thus clearing them to deploy the system operationally if needed.