French submarine Aréthuse (NN7)
| History | |
|---|---|
  France | |
| Name | Aréthuse |
| Namesake | Arethusa, a nymph in Greek mythology |
| Ordered | 14 April 1927 |
| Builder | Chantiers Schneider et Cie, Chalon-sur-Saône, France |
| Laid down | 6 January 1928 |
| Launched | 8 August 1929 |
| Commissioned | 14 July 1933 |
| Decommissioned | 1944 |
| Fate | Condemned 25 March 1946 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 63.4 m (208 ft) |
| Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft) |
| Draught | 4.24 m (13.9 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement | 41 |
| Armament |
|
Aréthuse (NN7) was an Argonaute-class submarine commissioned into service in the French Navy in 1933. She saw service in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from September 1939 to June 1940, then in the forces of Vichy France until November 1942, when she became part of the Free French Naval Forces. She was condemned in 1946.
Construction and commissioning
Aréthuse was authorized in the 1926 naval program
Service history
When
The
The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and armistice with Germany and Italy, which went into effect on 25 June 1940. On that day, Aréthuse was at Toulon.
Vichy France
After the June 1940
While Aréthuse was operating from Dakar, her main
On 6 August 1941, Aréthuse and La Sultane got underway from Casablanca.[2] They arrived at Port-Lyautey the same day for a port call that lasted until 10 August.[2]
On 12 September 1941, Aréthuse and La Sultane departed Casablanca bound for Safi, where they arrived at the end of the day.[2] Aréthuse departed Safi on 16 September and made for Agadir, where she arrived on 17 September.[2] Her stay at Agadir ended on 22 September 1941, when she got underway for Casablanca.[2] Aréthuse again called at Safi from 13 to 17 February 1942.[2]
On 4 March 1942, the four submarines of the 17th Submarine Division departed Casablanca bound for Toulon where they were to undergo streamlining.[2] Aréthuse was decommissioned for this work in April 1942, then recommissioned on 31 August 1942 after its completion.[2] With the work completed on all four of its submarines, the 17th Submarine Division departed Toulon on 30 September 1942 to return to Casablanca.[2]
Aréthuse is recorded as having been at sea in the Atlantic on 1 November 1942 during a voyage from Casablanca to Dakar in company with Atalante, La Sultane, and La Vestale.[2]
On 8 November 1942, Allied forces landed in French North Africa in Operation Torch. Fighting between Allied and Vichy French forces ended on 11 November 1942.
Free France
After the cessation of hostilities between Allied and French forces in French North Africa, French forces in
On 10 January 1943, the British submarine
In September 1943, Aréthuse and the submarine
On 3 January 1944, Aréthuse replaced the submarine Casabianca in her sector.[2] On 9 January 1944, the British submarine HMS Unseen departed Algiers in Algeria and with Aréthuse made a passage to Gibraltar as part of Convoy MKS 36.[3]
At the end of 1944, Aréthuse became a
Aréthuse was at La Pallice, France, in July 1945.[2] She was condemned on 26 March 1946.[2]
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ Chesneau, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, p. 274.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak "ARÉTHUSE II" (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "FR Aréthuse of the French Navy - French Submarine of the Argonaute class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ u-boote.fr ARCHIMEDE II (in French) Accessed 8 August 2022
- ^ "Sous-Marin Vestale" (in French). Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "ATALANTE". u-boote.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
Bibliography
- ISBN 2-7070-0068-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2023-04-15., p. 297.
- Bagnasco, Erminio (2000). Submarines of World War Two. London: ISBN 1-85409-532-3.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London, UK: Conway Maritime Press. p. 274. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Moulin, Jean (2006). Les sous-marins français en images (in French). Rennes: ISBN 2-915379-40-8.
External links
- "Argonaute - Sous-marin". AUX MARINS. Mémorial national des marins morts pour la France (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2020..
- Christian Lecalard (20 September 2014). "Sous marin "ARETHUSE"". Amicale RUBIS (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2020..
- "13-Sous-marins (16) sous-marins classe Argonaute (2)". CLAUSUCHRONIA Une uchronie un peu folle (in French). 31 August 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2020..
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