Agosta class (1934)

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Agosta class
Side elevation of the Casabianca
Side elevation of the Casabianca
Ship data
country FranceFrance (national flag of the sea) France
Ship type Submarine
Shipyard Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire , Saint-Nazaire

Arsenal de Cherbourg

Construction period 1931 to 1939
Launch of the type ship March 30, 1934
Units built 6th
period of service 1936 to 1952
Ship dimensions and crew
length
92.3 m ( Lüa )
width 8.2 m
Draft Max. 4.7 m
displacement above water: 1,570 t
under water: 2,084 t
 
crew 61 men
Machine system
machine Diesel engine
electric motor (1,000 PS / 746 kW)
Machine
performance 		8,600 hp (6,325 kW)
Mission data submarine
Dive time 45-50 seconds
Diving depth, normal 80 m
Top
speed
submerged 		10 kn (19 km / h)
Top
speed
surfaced 		20 kn (37 km / h)
Armament
  • 1 × deck gun 100 mm L / 40
  • 2 × MG 13.2 mm (2 × 1)
  • 9 × torpedo tube ⌀ 550 mm (4 in front, 3 amidships, 2 in rear)
  • 2 × torpedo tube ⌀ 400 mm

The Agosta class was a submarine - ship class of the French Navy . In the French type classification of the time, it was Class 1 boats. Between 1931 and 1939, six boats were built in two shipyards. The Agosta- class boats were used by both the Vichy-French and Free French navies during World War II .

Constructive features

See also: Constructive features of the 1500 ton type

The Agosta class was the third and final assembly of the 1500 tonne type . The main difference between the three subassemblies of this design, designed in 1922, was the size and power of the diesel engine . The boats of the Agosta class had two diesel engines with a total output of 8,600  HP (6,413  kW ) and reached an overwater speed of 20  kn (37  km / h ) and were therefore the fastest boats of the 1500 ton type.

Mission history

See also: History of use of the 1500 tonne type

When the Wehrmacht began to occupy the French Atlantic ports in June 1940 , the two boats Agosta and Ouessant were in Brest for overhaul . The boats could no longer sail and were destroyed by their own crews to prevent access by the navy . In September 1940 the British attempted an occupation of Dakar with Operation Menace . During the attempted invasion, the Bévéziers was able to torpedo and damage the British battleship Resolution .

Another boat was lost in December 1940. The German submarine U 37 mistakenly torpedoed the Sfax off Tarfaya .

In May 1942 the British occupied the colony of Madagascar, which was under Vichy-French control ( Operation Ironclad ). The Bévéziers was sunk by British carrier aircraft at the beginning of the attack in the port of Diego Suarez .

In November 1942, the Allies carried out a strategic landing in French North Africa with Operation Torch . During the fighting, the Sidi Ferruch was sunk by US aircraft off Casablanca .

As a result of the Allied invasion of North Africa, German units occupied southern France, which is why the remnants of the French fleet sunk themselves in Toulon . The last remaining Agosta- class submarine was the Casabianca . The submarine was in Toulon in November 1942. In contrast to most other French warships, the submarine broke out and made its way to Algiers , where it joined the French armed forces there. The submarine later served the British Secret Service and supplied the Resistance with supplies.

The Casabianca was the only Agosta- class boat to survive the war. The submarine was removed from the French fleet register in 1952.

Boats of the class

  • Agosta (Q 178)
    • Builder : Arsenal de Cherbourg ( Cherbourg )
    • Keel laying : February 2, 1931
    • Launched : March 30, 1934
    • Commissioning: February 1, 1937
    • Whereabouts: sunk in Brest on June 18, 1940
  • Bévéziers (Q 179)
  • Casabianca (Q 183)
    • Builder: At. & Ch. De la Loire ( Saint-Nazaire )
    • Keel laid: July 28, 1931
    • Launched: February 2, 1935
    • Commissioning: January 1, 1937
    • Where to go: fled from Toulon on November 27, 1942 , joined the Allies in Algiers, deleted on February 12, 1952.
  • Ouessant (Q 180)
    • Builder: Arsenal de Cherbourg (Cherbourg)
    • Keel laid: January 30, 1932
    • Launched: November 30, 1936
    • Commissioning: January 1, 1939
    • Whereabouts: sunk in Brest on June 18, 1940
  • Sfax (Q 182)
  • Sidi Ferruch (Q 181)

literature

  • Erminio Bagnasco: Submarines in World War II. (Technology - Classes - Types. A Comprehensive Encyclopedia). 5th edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-613-01252-9 .
  • Michael J. Whitley: Battleships of World War II. Classes - construction data - technology. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02289-3 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Erminio Bagnasco gives in submarines in World War II for the electric drive power 1000 HP. The uboat.net gives 2000 PS (1491 kW). A comparison with other submarines of this time indicates the lower value. The underwater speed, which is higher than the 600-630-ton type with greater displacement, indicates 2000 hp, but could also be due to a possibly more aerodynamic shape.
  2. ↑ The class should not be confused with the submarine class of the same name from the 1970s. This class was the last conventionally powered French submarine class, see: Agosta class (1977) .
  3. ↑ The French Navy distinguished three classes of submarines: 1st class boats were deep-sea boats. 2nd class boats were smaller coastal boats. 3rd class boats were mine layers .