French submarine Nautilus (1930)

The French submarine Nautilus was a Saphir-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1930s. Laid down in August 1927, it was launched in March 1930 and commissioned in July 1931. Nautilus was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia and captured there on 8 December 1942 by Italian forces. On 31 January 1943, it was sunk at Bizerte during an Allied air raid. Nautilus was raised but not repaired and finally stricken on 12 August 1947.[1][2]

For other uses, see Nautilus (disambiguation).

Sister ship Diamant, date unknown
History
France
NameNautilus
NamesakeNautilus
BuilderArsenal de Toulon
Laid down8 August 1927
Launched20 March 1930
Commissioned15 July 1931
FateCaptured at Bizerte, Tunisia on 8 December 1942 by Italian forces, sunk there during an Allied air raid on 31 January 1943. Raised but not repaired, then stricken on 12 August 1947.
General characteristics
Class and typeSaphir-class submarine
Displacement
  • 761 long tons (773 t) (surfaced)
  • 925 long tons (940 t) (submerged)
Length66 m (216 ft 6 in)
Beam7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Draught4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × diesel engines, 1,300 hp (969 kW)
  • 2 × electric motors, 1,100 hp (820 kW)
Speed
  • 12 knots (22 km/h) (surfaced)
  • 9 knots (17 km/h) (submerged)
Range
  • 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h)
  • 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
  • 80 nautical miles (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) (submerged)
Test depth80 m (260 ft)
Complement42
Armament

Design

66 m (216 ft 6 in) long, with a beam of 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) and a draught of 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in), Saphir-class submarines could dive up to 80 m (260 ft). The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 761 long tons (773 t) and a submerged displacement of 925 long tons (940 t). Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 1,300 hp (969 kW) Normand-Vickers diesel motors and while submerged two 1,100 hp (820 kW) electric motors. The submarines electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) while submerged. Their surfaced range was 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h), and 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h), with a submerged range of 80 nautical miles (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h).[1]

A scale model of Saphir exposed at the Musée national de la Marine

The Saphir-class submarines were constructed to be able to launch torpedoes and lay mines without surfacing. The moored contact mines they used contained 220 kg (490 lb) of TNT and operated at up to 200 metres (660 ft) of depth. They were attached to the submarine's exterior under a hydrodynamic protection and were jettisoned with compressed air. The Saphir-class submarines also featured an automatic depth regulator that automatically flooded ballast tanks after mines were dropped to prevent the risk of the submarine surfacing in the middle of enemy waters.[3][4]

See also

Citations
  1. "FR Nautilus of the French Navy – French submarine of the Requin class – Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  2. "Q 152". sous-marin.france.pagesperso-orange.fr. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. "Saphir class Submarines – Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  4. "Sous Mama – Diamand – Nautilus – Perle – Rubis – Saphir – Turquoise – Les Sous-Marins de la série des "Pierres Précieuses"". www.sous-mama.org.

References
  • Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Weapons and Warfare). Santa Barbara.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Moulin, Jean (October–November 2022). "Les sous-marins mouilleurs de mine type Saphir" [The Saphir-Class Minelaying-Submarines]. Navires & Histoire (in French) (133): 88–95. ISSN 1280-4290.
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