French submarine Sibylle (Q175)
History | |
---|---|
France | |
Name | Sibylle |
Namesake | Sibyl, a prophetess or oracle in Ancient Greece |
Builder | Chantiers Worms le Trait, Rouen, France |
Laid down | 10 January 1931 |
Launched | 28 January 1933 |
Commissioned | 22 December 1934 |
Fate | Missing 8 November 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Diane-class submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 64.4 m (211 ft 3 in) overall |
Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) |
Draft | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Crew | 41 |
Armament |
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Sibylle (Q175) was a Diane-class submarine of the French Navy commissioned in 1934. During World War II, she operated on the Allied side until 1940, when she became part of the naval forces of Vichy France. She disappeared during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, in November 1942.
French and other sources sometimes refer to the submarine by the formal name La Sibylle, either instead of or interchangeably with Sibyllé.[1][2]
Design and description
Sibylle was one of nine Diane-class submarines built for the French Navy during the 1930s.The Diane-class submarines were improved versions of the earlier Argonaute class. They displaced 661 tonnes (651 long tons) surfaced and 820 tonnes (807 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 64.4 meters (211 ft 3 in) long, had a beam of 6.2 meters (20 ft 4 in) and a draft of 4.3 meters (14 ft 1 in).[3]
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 700-
The submarines were armed with six 53.3-centimeter (21.0 in) and a pair of 40-centimeter (15.7 in)
Construction and commissioning
Sybille was authorized in the 1929 naval program,
Service history
When World War II began on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, Sibylle was part of the 16th Submarine Division — along with her sister ships Amazone, Antiope, and Orphée — under the command of Maritime prefecture I and based at the Submarine Center at Cherbourg.[1] France entered the war on the side of the Allies on 3 September 1939.
In 1940 the
On 8 April 1940 German U-boats began operations in accordance with Operationsbefehl Hartmut ("Operation Order Hartmut")[1] in support of Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway and Denmark. Allied operations related to Norway became of greater urgency when the German invasion of both countries began on 9 April 1940. As they supported Allied operations in the Norwegian campaign, the French submarines found limited facilities available to them at Harwich and had to rely largely on Jules Verne and spare parts sent from Cherbourg in France for repairs, some of which never were completed.[1] Jules Verne′s crew converted two of Sibylle′s water tanks into diesel fuel tanks in an attempt to increase her operating range and to avoid problems with possible leaks from her external fuel tanks, but this modification proved to be of little help in Sibylle′s operations.[1]
By 6 May 1940 the Allies had indications that a German invasion of the Netherlands was imminent, and that day Horton ordered all available submarines to put to sea.[5] The submarines of the 16th Submarine Division received orders to join four other French, four British, and two Polish Navy submarines in forming a patrol line in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands to find and attack German submarines believed to be operating in the area.[5] The Battle of France began when German ground forces advanced into France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg on 10 May 1940. On 17 May 1940, Sibylle collided with the French submarine Circé while submerging.[1] In a friendly fire incident on 20 May 1940, Antiope mistook Sybille for a U-boat and fired three torpedoes at her in the North Sea at 53°23′N 003°44′E / 53.383°N 3.733°E at a range of 600 metres (660 yd); the torpedoes passed beneath Sybille.[1][2]
On 25 May 1940, Jules Verne and the submarines of the 2nd, 13th, and 16th Submarine Divisions arrived in
The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and
Vichy France
After France's surrender, Sibylle served in the naval forces of Vichy France. On 11 and 12 September 1940, Sibylle, Antiope, Amazone, and their sister ship Amphitrite covered Force Y, a French Navy force consisting of three cruisers and three destroyers, as it arrived at Casablanca from Toulon, France, refueled, and then resumed its voyage to French West Africa.[5]
On 23 September 1940, British and
As of 23 October 1940 Sibylle still was part of the 16th Submarine Division along with Amazone, Antiope, and Orphée, but now based in French Morocco.[1] After arriving at Toulon, she was placed under guard in an unarmed and unfueled status in March 1941 in accordance with the June 1940 armistice.[1]
Subsequently reactivated, Sibylle returned to Africa. As of 1 November 1942 she still was part of the 16th Submarine Division along with Amazone, Amphitrite, Antiope, and the submarine Perle and based at Casablanca.[1] During the night of 7–8 November 1942, the French naval commander at Casablanca received indications that a Allied invasion of French North Africa was imminent and took action to resist it.[5]
Loss
Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious landings in French Morocco and Algeria, began in the predawn hours of 8 November 1942. As the naval Battle of Casablanca began that morning between United States Navy and Vichy French forces, Sibylle departed Casablanca at 07:04 with orders to patrol in the Atlantic Ocean in Sector 5 off Fedala.[1] She was never heard from again, and was lost with her entire crew of 41.[1][2]
The circumstances of the loss of Sibylle remain a mystery. It is possible that U.S. aircraft sank her during the Naval Battle of Casablanca,[2] which did not subside until 16 November 1942, although hostilities between Allied and French forces in French North Africa ceased on 11 November 1942. An unidentified submarine reportedly struck a mine in an Allied defensive minefield off Casablanca during the night of 16–17 November 1942[1][2] at 33°41′23″N 007°23′23″W / 33.68972°N 7.38972°W, and this report could reflect the sinking of Sibylle if she still was operating off Casablanca that long after hostilities ended. Some sources have credited the German submarine U-173 with sinking Sibylle before U-173 was herself sunk by U.S. Navy destroyers on 16 November 1942, but this seems unlikely.[2]
Honors and awards
- Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with palm
After her loss, Sibylle was awarded three citations. The first, on 17 December 1942, acknowledged that she disappeared "gloriously" during Operation Torch.[1] The second, on 8 January 1943, again noted that she disappeared "gloriously" and credited her with conducting operations against Allied forces from 8 through 10 November 1942 and with sinking an Allied troop transport.[1] The third, on 9 July 1943, was a citation à l'ordre de l'armée which awarded her and her crew the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with palm.[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 Sous-Marins Français Disparus & Accidents: Sous-Marin Sibylle I (in French) Accessed 22 April 2023
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Allied Warships: FR La Sibylle, uboat.net Accessed 23 April 2023
- ^ a b c Bagnasco, p. 44
- ^ Roberts, p. 275
- ^ a b c d e f g h uboote.fr ANTIOPE (in French) Accessed 21 April 2023
Bibliography
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Moulin, Jean (2006). Les sous-marins français en images (in French). Rennes: Marines Éditions. pp. 28–29. ISBN 2-915379-40-8.
- Moulin, Jean (April–May 2022). "Les sous-marins type Antiope des budgets 1927, 1928, 1929" [The Antope-Class Submarines of the 1927, 1928, 1929 Budgets]. Navires & Histoire (in French) (130): 66–75. ISSN 1280-4290.
- Roberts, John (1980). "France". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 255–279. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
External links
- "Sibylle - Sous-marin". AUX MARINS. Mémorial national des marins morts pour la France (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2020..
- "13-Sous-marins (18) sous-marins classe Argonaute (4)". CLAUSUCHRONIA Une uchronie un peu folle (in French). 1 September 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2020..
- Jean-Luc Delaeter (31 March 2005). "Les Sous-Marins du groupe Jules Verne". "Sous-mama.org" La base des Sous-Mariniers des Hauts de France et des Officiers Mariniers des Hauts de France (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2020..
- tchimakan (2 August 2012). "Sujet: Re: Quizz bateaux et histoire navale". La Royale Modélisme (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2020..
- "1937.01.28.Des ACSM.État des navires - commandes de 01 à 87 - marchés du 31.12.1919 au 17.11.1936". Worms & Cie (in French). 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2020..