"Le Terrible sailed out of dry dock at 8:30 am (0730 GMT) to begin sea trials ahead of joining active service in 2010," Yann Bizien, spokesman for maritime authorities in the Channel port of Cherbourg, told AFP.

Known to NATO as an SSBN or Sub-Surface Ballistic Nuclear vessel, "Le Terrible" is a 14,300-tonne submarine with a 111-strong crew designed to allow France to launch a nuclear strike even if its land bases are destroyed.

The sub will join three other vessels of the same class based in the Atlantic port of Brest and armed with M51 intercontinental nuclear missiles.

France is one of the world's five declared nuclear powers and has maintained an independent deterrent capability since its first test in 1960.

In March last year, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a plan to cut France's arsenal of air-launched nuclear weapons, but promised to keep its far larger stock of submarine missiles up-to-date and ready for use.

The reduction leaves France with fewer than 300 nuclear warheads, half the maximum number it had during the Cold War, but Sarkozy still describes the weapons as a vital warning to potential foes.

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