French submarine Méduse (NN5)
History | |
---|---|
France | |
Name | Méduse |
Namesake | Gorgons in Greek mythology |
Operator | French Navy |
Laid down | 1 January 1928 |
Launched | 26 August 1930 |
Commissioned | 1 September 1932 |
Fate |
|
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Diane-class submarine |
Type | submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 64.4 m (211 ft) |
Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft) |
Draught | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Méduse (NN5) was a French Navy Diane-class submarine commissioned in 1932. 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 wrecked in November 1942.
Construction and commissioning
Méduse was authorized in the 1926 naval program under the naval law of 29 April 1926.
Service history
In November 1934, Méduse, her sister ships Amazone and La Psyché, and the submarine Danaé visited Leith, Scotland.[1]
When World War II began on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, Méduse was part of the 18th Submarine Division — a part of the 2nd Submarine Squadron in the 6th Squadron — along with her sister ships Amphitrite, Oréade, and La Psyché, based at Oran in Algeria.[1] France entered the war on the side of the Allies on 3 September 1939. Later in 1939 and in early 1940, she conducted patrols off the Canary Islands.[1]
German ground forces advanced into France, the
The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and
Vichy France
After France′s surrender, Méduse served in the naval forces of
On 7 September 1940, Méduse accidentally ran aground off Casablanca.[1] She subsequently was placed under guard in a disarmed and unfueled state under the terms of the June 1940 armistices. By 23 October 1940 she was part of the 13th Submarine Division, in which she remained through at least March 1941.[1]
Méduse was reactivated at Oran in April 1942.[1] By 1 November 1942 she was based in French Morocco as part of the 17th Submarine Division.[1] By 8 November 1942 she was part of the 18th Submarine Division.[1]
On 9 November 1942, a floatplane from Philadelphia bombed Méduse near Cape Cantin, inflicting additional damage on her.[1][4] She submerged and struck the seabed, then resurfaced at 18:30.[1] Her second officer was sent to Safi to alert French authorities there that she would arrive there overnight.[1] A vessel she identified as a vedette then approached, forcing her to submerge.[1] After she surfaced again, her commanding officer decided to make for Mazagan instead, but Méduse had two punctured ballast tanks and had taken on a 20-degree list to starboard and could not make port.[1]
Méduse′s commanding officer decided to beach her, put her wounded ashore, and scuttle her.[1] At 06:40 on 10 November 1942, Méduse beached herself at Mazagan north of Cape Blanco at 33°25′N 008°40′W / 33.417°N 8.667°W, and after evacuating her wounded her crew opened all of her water intakes and scuttled her.[1][2] A floatplane from Philadelphia sighted her that day after she beached herself, finding her down by the stern and listing heavily to port, and bombed her again.[4]
Fighting between Allied and Vichy French forces in French North Africa ended on 11 November 1942, and French forces in Africa subsequently switched to the Allied side, joining the forces of Free France. Méduse was refloated on 18 November 1942 and towed to Mazagan, but never returned to service.[1]
Honors and awards
For his actions during the Naval Battle of Casablanca, Méduse′s commanding officer received a citation from the Frenchh Navy which read in part:
[Méduse] attacked on November 8 a battleship (the Massachusetts) off Casablanca despite a very strong reaction by the escorts. Attacked by aircraft, [Méduse] responded with her machine guns, then by diving in spite of very serious damage. [Her commanding officer] tried everything for 36 hours to save his vessel, showing, in particularly perilous and difficult circumstances, magnificent qualities of energy, courage, and coolness.[1]
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 ad ae uboote.fr MÉDUSE (in French) Accessed 27 April 2023
- ^ a b c d "FR Méduse". uboat.net. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ uboote.fr AMAZONE (in French) Accessed 26 April 2023
- ^ a b "Philadelphia V (CL-41) 1937-1951". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
Bibliography
- Larue, Pierre (2 May 2013). "DANS LE SILLAGE DU SOUS-MARIN MÉDUSE". Subaqua (in French). No. 248.
- Moulin, Jean (2006). Les sous-marins français en images (in French). Rennes: Marines Éditions. pp. 28–29. ISBN 2-915379-40-8.
External links
- Ivan Gogin (2008). "FRENCH NAVY (FRANCE) - SUBMARINES - DIANE submarines (1932-1934)". NAVYPEDIA. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- Pierre Larue. "DANS LE SILLAGE DU SOUS-MARIN MEDUSE". MAZAGAN - AAMR (Amicale des Anciens de Mazagan et sa Région) (in French). Retrieved 4 January 2020.