Mr. Chief of the Naval Staff,  

Admirals, officers, petty officers, quartermasters and sailors of the thunder and of the squadron of nuclear attack submarines,  

Dear families, dear friends of the sailors of La Minerve,  

The love of the sea is great. 

There is the freedom of infinite spaces and the ardor of the blade. There is the incessant murmur of the waves and the silence of the abyss. There is the love of crewed adventure and the passion for the Navy. Beautiful and proud demanding house that upholds our values. There are also the tormented winds and the impromptu storms, the thundering lightning, the foam and the cruelty of the waves. There is the ardor to tame nature, and humility in the face of immensity. There are ships that do not return. 

Great is the mystery of the sea. 

51 years ago, on January 27, 1968, 52 sailors disappeared aboard the Minerve in the silence of the Mediterranean. All means are then implemented to find the traces of the crew. The research is meticulous, carried out with perseverance. They mobilize the great family of the Navy, Commander Cousteau, Professor Rocard. But the depths are unfathomable and the uncertainty unbearable. 

Dear families, I cannot imagine the pain that was yours. I cannot imagine the pain of an impossible mourning. I know that time erases neither pain nor memory and I want to tell you today that France has never forgotten your fathers, your husbands, your fiancés, your sons, your brothers. We have never forgotten and you have never given up. For 50 years you never gave up.  

Several research campaigns have been carried out. The drama of the Eurydice leads to new explorations which end in another failure. 

The silence thickens, hopes are dashed. At the dawn of 50 years of silence, you once again call on the Navy.  

It is true that today the depths of the sea are no longer as unknown to us as they were 50 years ago. As technological progress and prowess progress, the seabed is gradually revealing its secret.  

In the Argentine Sea, the wreck of the San Juan submarine, which disappeared in 2017, was found a year later. The secret of Minerva may be within our reach. 

But no one dares to dream of seeing this wish granted.  

The Chief of the Naval Staff then sent me a letter, a letter describing the extent of technological progress and the new perspectives offered to us. A letter suggesting that I consider new research for Minerva 

Admiral, thank you. 

I see in this letter the symbol of a Navy that never forgets its own people, that cultivates team spirit in the depth of historical ties and the past as much as it knows how to do in the present. There is a glimmer of hope, it is weak, wavering, so fragile. Above all, there is the fear of provoking new disappointed hopes. The shadow of disillusion lurks, but this glimmer of hope is very real, dear families.   

Yours have devoted their entire lives to France, they have given themselves body and soul for France.  

France never abandons its children, and that is why, on February 5, 2019, I took the decision to relaunch the search operations for the wreckage of the Minerve.  

We have undertaken this research by concealing our hopes, we have mobilized the most precious means of the Navy, but also those of many national and international civilian partners. The Atomic Energy Commission has resumed the work of defining the search area from zero, and the underwater drones of the company Océan Infinity have been chartered for the exploration. And, during a summer evening, off Toulon, in the most complete darkness, at a depth of 2370 m, it appears. She appears on the screen of the robots, lit by her powerful spotlights.  

It is July 21, 2019 at 7:10 p.m.,   Minerva is found. 

France is stunned and fascinated. Again, I can never imagine the confusion of feelings that must have arisen in you, but I hope from the bottom of my heart that this discovery and this newfound certainty are a source of appeasement._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_

The sailors of La Minerve rest here at sea. The sea they cherished, the sea they chose as their profession. An extraordinary job.   The sea is   their mausoleum, and we have now found their tomb. 

It is to her that we bow, it is to her that we will flourish. This is the grave of a united crew.  

United in death as he was in life  

Your fathers, your husbands, your fiancés, your sons, your brothers have remained for these 50 years the brothers of the whole seafaring community and they will remain so. Our efforts to find them are a sign of this. They do not arrest memory, they soothe and prolong it. 

I am also going to pay tribute to the brave submariners who returned to sea after this tragedy and after that of the Eurydice. Their unfailing commitment, stronger than fear, illustrates all the passion they have for their job, all their passion for serving France.  

And today I would like to address the submariners present.  

The submarine weapon is the fruit of a history of a patient and constant effort of our country, of a transmission, where you have all your part just like your elders. The success of this transmission is first of all that you yourself have accepted to commit yourself resolutely and freely to this exceptional force, to mold yourselves in professionalism and rigor despite the known dangers and the risks assumed. To be submariners is to voluntarily consent to extraordinary habits. It is a precise daily life, meticulous and rigorous work in the depths of silence. It is the vivid memory, and maintained, of all the sailors who have shaped our submarine force, and our oceanic deterrent with audacity, constancy and competence. And our country knows what it owes the submariners, our country knows what it owes the sailors of La Minerve. 

  And in the calm of the marine shadows, grateful France bows. 

Long live the republic, long live France