French submarine Phoque (1926)

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.

For other ships with the same name, see French submarine Phoque.
Phoque
Sister ship Souffleur in 1926
History
France
Name: Phoque
Builder: Brest Arsenal
Laid down: 21 May 1924
Launched: 16 March 1926
Commissioned: 7 May 1928
Fate: Seized by Axis forces 8 December 1942
Italy
Name: FR 111
Acquired: 8 December 1942
Fate: Sunk by Allied aircraft 28 February 1943 off the Italian coast
General characteristics
Class and type: Requin-class submarine
Displacement:
Length: 78.30 m (256 ft 11 in)
Beam: 6.84 m (22 ft 5 in)
Draught: 5.10 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 depth: 80 m (260 ft)
Complement: 51
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

Design

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 tonnes (1,132 long tons) and a submerged displacement of 1,441 tonnes (1,418 long tons). Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 2,900 hp (2,163 kW) diesel motors 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).[1][2]

Construction and career

Phoque was laid down at the Brest Arsenal on 21 May 1924, launched on 16 March 1926 and commissioned on 7 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.[3][4][5][6][7]

Citations
  1. "Requin submarines (1926 - 1928) - French Navy (France)". www.navypedia.org.
  2. "Requin Class French Submarines". battleships-cruisers.co. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. "FR Phoque of the French Navy - French submarine of the Requin class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. "Batiments ayant porté le nom de Narval". www.netmarine.net.
  5. "Italian submarines French". Warshipsww2.Eu. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. Fontenoy 2007, p. 182
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20131104150858/http://sous-marin.france.pagesperso-orange.fr/Q128.htm

References
  • Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Weapons and Warfare). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85109-563-6.
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