Requin-class submarine

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Requin-class submarine
Souffleur (1924).jpg
Souffleur in 1926
Class overview
NameRequin class
Operators
Succeeded by Redoutable class
Built1923–1928
In service1926–1946
Completed9
Lost7
Retired2
General characteristics
Type Submarine
Displacement
Length78.30 m (256 ft 11 in)
Beam6.84 m (22 ft 5 in)
Draught5.10 m (16 ft 9 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × diesel engines, 2,900 hp (2,163 kW)
  • 2 × electric motors, 1,800 hp (1,342 kW)
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h) (surfaced)
  • 9 knots (17 km/h) (submerged)
Range
  • 7,700 nautical miles (14,300 km) at 9 knots (17 km/h)
  • 70 nautical miles (130 km) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h) (submerged)
Test depth80 m (260 ft)
Complement51
Armament
  • 10 × 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes
  • 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun
  • 2 × 8 mm (0.31 in) machine guns

The Requin-class submarines were a class of nine diesel-electric attack submarines built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Most saw action during World War II for the Vichy French Navy or the Free French Naval Forces. Nine ships of this type were built in the shipyards of Brest, Cherbourg and Toulon between 1923 and 1928. The class was part of the French Marine Nationale, serving in the Mediterranean Sea. All member ships took part in World War II, fighting on both sides of the conflict; Four were captured by Italian forces and sunk by the Allies. Only one ship survived the war - Marsouin, decommissioned shortly after the war's end.

Contents

Design

The Requin class was ordered as part of the French fleet's expansion program during 1922 and 1923. [1] The class was designed with additional experience gained from examining of ex-German U-boats received as war reparations. [1] The ships were destined for reconnaissance and service in colonies, to attack the shipping lanes of the potential enemies. [1] The class had a large range and diving depth; it suffered, however, from poor maneuverability and speed on the surface. [1] [2] The ships were designed by Jean-Jacques Roquebert. [2]

Morse under construction in the Arsenal de Cherbourg, 1924 French submarine Morse under construction.jpg
Morse under construction in the Arsenal de Cherbourg, 1924

78 m (255 ft 11 in) long, with a beam of 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) and a draught of 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in), Requin-class submarines could dive up to 80 m (260 ft). The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 1,150 long tons (1,168  t ) and a submerged displacement of 1,441 long tons (1,464  t ). Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 2,900 hp (2,163 kW) diesel motors built by the Swiss manufacturer Sulzer or by Schneider and two 1,800 hp (1,342 kW) electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) while submerged and 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) on the surface. Their surfaced range was 7,700 nautical miles (14,300 km) at 9 knots (17 km/h), and 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h), with a submerged range of 70 nautical miles (130 km) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h). [3] [4] [1]

Of the nine Requin-class ships, two were built in Brest, five in Cherbourg and two in Toulon. The ships were laid down between 1923 and 1924, launched between 1924 and 1927 [1] [2] and were commissioned in the French Navy between 1926 and 1928. The units received the pennant numbers Q115 to Q120 and Q127 through Q129. [5]

Ships

Requin-class submarines
NameLaunchedCommissionedFate
Caïman 3 March 19277 February 1928 Scuttled at Toulon with the French fleet; refloated by Italian forces and sunk by Allied aircraft. [2]
Dauphin 2 April 192522 November 1927Captured by Italian forces then recaptured by German forces and later scuttled. [2]
Espadon 28 May 192616 December 1927Captured by Italian forces and later scuttled. [2]
Marsouin 27 December 19247 September 1927Used operationally by the Free French Forces from 1942, sold for scrap in 1946. [2]
Morse 11 November 192510 February 1928Sunk by a mine on 16 June 1940. [2]
Narval 9 May 192523 July 1926Used by the Free French Forces, sunk by a mine off Tunisia in 1940. [2]
Phoque 16 March 19267 May 1928Captured by Italian forces; sunk by Allied aircraft off Sicily on 28 February 1943. [6]
Requin 19 July 192426 May 1926Captured by Italian forces and later recaptured by German forces; scrapped in 1944. [7]
Souffleur 1 October 192410 August 1926Sunk by the British submarine HMS Parthian off Beirut. [2]

Service

Morse, 1939 Morse.1939.jpg
Morse, 1939

From 1935 to 1937, all ships underwent a major overhaul. [1] [8] At the outbreak of World War II, the ships served in the Mediterranean Sea, forming part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla stationed at Bizerte. [9] After the Armistice was concluded between France and Germany, all ships except Morse, sunk off Tunisia on June 16, 1940, and Narval, which went to the Free French Naval Forces, joined the Vichy French navy. [9] On June 25, 1941, during Operation Exporter, Souffleur was torpedoed and sunk off Beirut, Lebanon, by the British submarine Parthian. [10] [11] [12] On November 27, 1942, during the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon, Caïman was scuttled, later raised by the Italians and on March 11, 1944, sunk again by American planes. [8] [2] Marsouin was not scuttled and escaped from Toulon to join the Free French Naval Forces [13] and served until 1946. [8] [2]

Morse French Submarine Morse Q117.jpg
Morse

On 8 December 1942 in Bizerte, German forces captured four ships of the Requin class: Phoque, Requin, Espadon and Dauphin, and then handed them over to Italy. [1] In commission with the Regia Marina, they received the designations FR. 111, FR.113, FR.114 and FR.115, respectively, and were rebuilt into submarine transports. [14] Torpedo and artillery armaments were removed from the ships, leaving only two 13.2 mm guns; they were able to transport 50 tons of cargo and 145 tons of fuel. [9] Only the rebuilding of Phoque (FR.111) was completed, but during its first voyage under the Italian flag on February 28, 1943, the ship was sunk near Syracuse by American planes. [14] After the conclusion of the ceasefire with Italy by the Allies, the remaining ships were scuttled in September 1943 by Italians or Germans. [15] [14]

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French submarine <i>Caïman</i>

The French submarine Caïman was a Requin-class submarine 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 HMS Ajax off Syria. It was scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942 to prevent her capture by the Germans, then raised in February 1943. It was sunk again on 11 March 1944 by Allied aircraft.

French submarine <i>Dauphin</i> (1925)

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French submarine <i>Espadon</i> (1926)

The French submarine Espadon was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in October 1923, it was launched in May 1926 and commissioned in December 1927. It was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia in April 1941 and captured there by Italian forces on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 114. It was scuttled by the Italians at the Castellamare shipyard on 13 September 1943, then raised by the Germans in 1943 but not repaired.

French submarine <i>Marsouin</i> (1924)

The French submarine Marsouin was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in November 1922, it was launched in December 1924 and commissioned in September 1927. It escaped from Toulon on 27 November 1942 and joined the Free French Naval Forces; it was later disarmed at Oran in April 1944, and stricken on 28 February 1946.

French submarine <i>Narval</i> (1925) French Requin-class submarine

The French submarine Narval was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in March 1923, it was launched in May 1925 and commissioned in July 1926. It joined the Free French naval forces at Malta at the time of the French surrender during World War II. On or around 15 December 1940, Narval sank after striking a mine in the same minefield off the Kerkennah Islands that sank her sister ship Morse six months prior.

French submarine <i>Phoque</i> (1926) French Requin-class submarine

Phoque was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in May 1924, it was launched in March 1926 and commissioned in May 1928. In April 1941, it was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia and captured there by the Italians on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 111. It was sunk on 28 February 1943 10 miles off Murro di Porco, Sicily by Allied aircraft.

French submarine <i>Requin</i> (1924) French Requin-class submarine

The French submarine Requin was the lead ship of the Requin-class submarines built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in June 1922, it was launched in July 1924 and commissioned in May 1926. It was captured by Italian forces at Bizerte, Tunisia on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 113. On 9 September 1943, it was recaptured by German forces. It was sold for scrap in Genes, Italy in 1944.

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The French submarine Souffleur was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in October 1922, it was launched two years later and commissioned in August 1926. Souffleur was torpedoed and sunk on 25 June 1941 off Beyrut, Lebanon in position 33°49′N35°26′E by the British submarine HMS Parthian.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gardiner, p. 272
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Fontenoy, p. 182
  3. "Requin Class French Submarines". battleships-cruisers.co. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. "Requin class Submarines - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  5. Jane, p. 199
  6. "FR Phoque of the French Navy - French submarine of the Requin class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  7. "FR Requin of the French Navy - French submarine of the Requin class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Couhat, p. 75
  9. 1 2 3 Don Kindell. "French, Polish, German, United States Navy Ship Dispositions, September 1939". naval-history.net. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  10. Lipiński, p. 539
  11. Perepeczko, p. 338
  12. "FR Souffleur of the French Navy – French submarine of the Requin class – Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  13. Perepeczko, p. 394
  14. 1 2 3 Lipiński, p. 653
  15. Perepeczko, p. 402

Citations