Bévéziers (Q 179)
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The Bévéziers (Q 179) was a submarine of the French Navy during World War II .
Constructive features
See also: Constructive features of the 1500 ton type
The submarine belonged to the Agosta class , which was the third and final assembly of the 1500-tonne type developed in 1922 . The boats were considered fast and very agile. They had a long range above water and offered good living conditions for the crew at the time. The armament with a total of eleven torpedo tubes was very strong. One shortcoming was the external arrangement of seven tubes, as they could not be reloaded on the high seas.
history
See also: History of use of the 1500 ton type and history of use of the Agosta class
In September 1940, British and Free French troops made an unsuccessful attempt to land in Dakar in Operation Menace in the French West Africa colony under Vichy-French control . During the attempt to land, the Bévéziers was able to torpedo the British battleship Resolution . This was so badly damaged that it failed for months and all damage was only repaired over a year later.
In the spring of 1942, the British occupied as part of Operation Ironclad in the Pacific War strategically important island of Madagascar because they have a Japanese feared invasion. At the beginning of the British Invasion was French submarine Bévéziers on May 5, 1942 at the port of Diego Suarez in position 12 ° 16 '30 " S , 49 ° 17' 5" O of carrier aircraft of the British aircraft carrier Indomitable and Illustrious sunk attacked without warning and.
The wreck was lifted by the Royal Navy in April 1943, but no longer repaired or even used.
The Bévéziers was finally deleted from the French fleet register on December 26, 1946.
See also
- Bévéziers (other French ships of the same name)
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 .