French submarine Caïman

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.[1][2][3][4]

Caïman
Sister ship Souffleur in 1926
History
France
NameCaïman
BuilderArsenal de Cherbourg
Laid down11 August 1924
Launched3 March 1927
Commissioned7 February 1928
FateScuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942 to prevent her capture by the Germans, raised in February 1943. Sunk 11 March 1944 by Allied aircraft
General characteristics
Class and typeRequin-class submarine
Displacement
Length78 m (255 ft 11 in)
Beam6.8 m (22 ft 4 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

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).[5][6][4]

Citations
  1. "FR Caiman of the French Navy – French submarine of the Requin class – Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  2. "Q 127". sous-marin.france.pagesperso-orange.fr. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. Fontenoy, p. 182
  4. Couhat, p. 75
  5. "Requin Class French Submarines". battleships-cruisers.co. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  6. "French Submarines of WW2". www.naval-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 23 October 2018.

References
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