French submarine Actéon
History | |
---|---|
France | |
Name | Actéon |
Namesake | Actaeon, a Theban hero in Greek mythology |
Operator | French Navy |
Builder | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire, France |
Laid down | 20 July 1927 |
Launched | 10 April 1929 |
Commissioned | 18 December 1931 |
Homeport | Brest, France |
Fate | Sunk 8 November 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Redoutable-class submarine |
Displacement |
|
Length | 92.3 m (302 ft 10 in) |
Beam | 8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)[1] |
Draft | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) (surfaced) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Range |
|
Test depth | 80 m (262 ft) |
Complement |
|
Armament |
|
Actéon was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1932. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France. She was sunk in November 1942.
Characteristics
Actéon was part of a fairly homogeneous series of 31 deep-sea patrol submarines also called "1,500-tonners" because of their displacement. All entered service between 1931 and 1939.
The Redoutable-class submarines were 92.3 metres (302 ft 10 in) long and 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in) in
Construction and commissioning
Service history
World War II
At the start of
On 12 April 1940, Actéon was transferred to the
German ground forces advanced into France on 10 May 1940, beginning the
Vichy France
After France's surrender, Actéon served in the naval forces of Vichy France. Her batteries and those of Acheron were in poor condition, but repairing or replacing them was impossible at Beirut.[7] Escorted by the netlayer Le Gladiateur, the two submarines departed Beirut on 16 October 1940 bound for Toulon, which they reached on 24 October 1940.[7] Actéon then was placed under guard at Toulon in accordance with the terms of the armistice.[7][8]
In 1941, Actéon was transferred to Dakar in Senegal.[7] While returning to Dakar from a reconnaissance mission she attempted on 27 and 28 July 1941 to intercept and seize the Norwegian cargo ship Lidward, which had escaped internment at Dakar, but she mistakenly began tracking a different ship and failed to find Lidward.[7][9] A British aircraft sighted Actéon and ordered her to stop, but she ignored the order and proceeded to Dakar.[7]
By 1 January 1942, Actéon had been reassigned to Casablanca, where she formed the 5th Submarine Division with her sister ships Fresnel, Henri Poincaré, and Pascal.[7][10] By 1 November 1942, only Fresnel was still assigned to the division with her.[7]
The submarines of the 5th Submarine Division received orders to proceed to Toulon on 8 November 1942 to undergo a major overhaul, but Actéon and Pascal were still in French North Africa at Oran in Algeria that day when Allied forces landed on the coast of North Africa in Operation Torch. At 02:05 on 8 November, Actéon and Fresnel received orders to put to sea and oppose the landings,[7] and they got underway between 03:15 and 03:45.[7] Actéon soon reached her patrol area off the coast of Algeria east of Cape Falcon.[7]
Loss
At the end of the day on 8 November 1942, Actéon sighted the British
References
Citations
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "FR Ajax of the French Navy – French Submarine of the Redoutable class – Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Allied Warships: FR Actéon, uboat.net Accessed 18 July 2022
- ^ Huan, p. 49.
- ^ Picard, p. 38.
- ^ Huan, p. 74.
- ^ Picard, p. 62.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Sous-Marins Français Disparus & Accidents: Sous-Marin Actéon (in French) Accessed 5 August 2022
- ^ Huan, p. 96.
- ^ Huan, p. 113.
- ^ Huan, p. 125.
- ^ Huan, p. 137.
- ^ Mason, Geoffrey B., LCDR, RN SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2: HMS WESTCOTT (D 47) - V & W-class Destroyer, naval history.net, Revised 11/7/11 Accessed 19 July 2022
Bibliography
- Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Weapons and Warfare). Santa Barbara, California. ISBN 978-1-85367-623-9.]
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[verification needed - Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Huan, Claude (2004). Les Sous-marins français 1918–1945 (in French). Rennes: Marines Éditions. ISBN 9782915379075.
- Picard, Claude (2006). Les Sous-marins de 1 500 tonnes (in French). Rennes: Marines Éditions. ISBN 2-915379-55-6.