Phoque
Sister ship Souffleur in 1926
History
France
NamePhoque
BuilderBrest Arsenal
Laid down21 May 1924
Launched16 March 1926
Commissioned7 May 1928
FateSeized by Axis forces 8 December 1942
Italy
NameFR 111
Acquired8 December 1942
FateSunk by Allied aircraft 28 February 1943 off the Italian coast
General characteristics
Class and typeRequin-class 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

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.

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 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 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]

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.[2][3][4][5][6]

Citations

  1. ↑ "Requin Class French Submarines". battleships-cruisers.co. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "FR Phoque of the French Navy - French submarine of the Requin class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Batiments ayant porté le nom de Narval". www.netmarine.net.
  4. ↑ "Italian submarines French". warshipsww2.eu. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ Fontenoy 2007, p. 182
  6. ↑ "Q 128". sous-marin.france.pagesperso-orange.fr. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

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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