French submarine Diane (NN4)
History | |
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France | |
Name | Diane |
Namesake | Diana, a goddess in Roman and Hellenistic religion |
Operator | French Navy |
Ordered | 1926 |
Builder | Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand, Le Havre, France |
Laid down | 25 April 1927 |
Launched | 13 May 1930 |
Commissioned | 1 September 1932 |
Fate |
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General characteristics | |
Class and type | Diane-class submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 64.4 m (211 ft 3 in) |
Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) |
Draft | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 80 metres (262 ft) |
Complement | 3 officers, 38 men |
Armament |
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Diane was a French Navy Diane-class submarine commissioned in 1932, the lead ship of her class. During World War II, she operated on the Allied side until 1940, when she became part of the naval forces of Vichy France. She was scuttled in November 1942.
Construction and commissioning
Ordered in 1926 under Naval Program 75,
Service history
Pre-World War II
During a visit to Bénodet, France, Diane lost a member of her crew on 25 May 1937[1] who drowned while attempting to swim about 300 metres (330 yd) from shore to Diane.[2] The incident occurred after he and three other crewmen had returned to shore when the boat they tried to use to reach Diane began to fill with water, and three of the men decided to swim to Diane.[2]
World War II
When World War II began on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, Diane was part of the 14th Submarine Division — a part of the 2nd Submarine Squadron in the 6th Squadron — along with the submarines Ariane, Danaé, and Eurydice, based at Oran in Algeria.[1] France entered the war on the side of the Allies on 3 September 1939. Diane subsequently patrolled in the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of Madeira.[1]
German ground forces advanced into France on 10 May 1940, beginning the
Vichy France
After France′s surrender, Diane served in the naval forces of
When the British warships opened fire on the French ships in the harbor at 17:57,[1] beginning their attack on Mers-el-Kébir, Diane was 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) west of Pointe de l’Aiguille (35°52′31″N 000°29′04″W / 35.87528°N 0.48444°W) in Oran Province.[1] None of the four submarines was able to close with the British ships during the battle.[1] During the night of 3–4 July 1940, the four submarines patrolled on the surface off Oran in a north-south patrol line.[1] All four submarines remained on patrol off Oran until 20:00 on 4 July 1940 before returning to Oran.[1]
As Operation Catapult continued, British forces attacked the French squadron at Dakar in Senegal on 8 July 1940.[3][5] Receiving word of the attack, French naval authorities at Oran ordered Eurydice, Ariane, and Diane to form a patrol line off Cape Falcon, Algeria.[3][5]
Diane spent August and September 1940 at Toulon, France,[1] then returned to Oran.[1] From October 1941 to May 1942, she was under guard at Oran in an unarmed and unfueled status[1] in accordance with the terms of the 22 June 1940 armistice. By 1 November 1942, still in that status, she was part of the 12th Submarine Division.[1]
Loss
Diane still was in her unarmed and unfueled status at Oran when Allied forces invaded French North Africa in Operation Torch on 8 November 1942.[1] She was scuttled at Oran on 9 November 1942 to prevent her capture by Allied forces.[1] Her wreck was condemned in 1944.
References
Citations
- ^ 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 Sous-Marins Français Disparus & Accidents: Sous-Marin Diane II (in French) Accessed 16 October 2022
- ^ a b Anonymous, "UN SECOND-MAITRE DU SOUS-MARIN «DIANE» SE NOIE EN REGAGNANT ON BOARD," Ouest Éclair (in French), 26 May 1937.
- ^ a b c u-boote.fr ARIANE (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022
- ^ u-boote.fr DANAÉ (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022
- ^ a b c u-boote.fr EURYDICE (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022
Bibliography
- Moulin, Jean (2006). Les sous-marins français en images (in French). Rennes: ISBN 2-915379-40-8..
External links
- Jean-Paul Nadeau et Claude Rogel. "Sous-Marin Diane II". Sous-Marins Française Disparus & Accidents (in French)..
- "Sous marin de 2ème classe ou 630 tonnes Classe Diane 2" (PDF). AGASM (in French). 27 May 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2020..