Casabianca (Q 183)

**Casabianca**
	Side elevation of the Casabianca
Ship data
flag	France
Ship type	Submarine
class	Agosta class
Shipyard	At. & Chantiers de la Loire , Saint-Nazaire
Keel laying	July 28, 1931
Launch	February 2, 1935
Commissioning	January 1, 1937
Whereabouts	Wrecked in 1956
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 10.0 cm L / 40; 2 × MG 13.2 mm (2 × 1); 9 × torpedo tube ⌀ 55.0 cm (4 front, 3 amidships, 2 rear); 2 × torpedo tube ⌀ 40.0 cm;

The Casabianca (Q 183) was a submarine of the French Navy during World War II . The name of the boat goes back to the Napoleonic naval officer Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca . The Casabianca gained some notoriety when, in the face of the German invasion of southern France , it was able to break out of the port of Toulon in November 1942 and escape to French North Africa . The boat was the only floating unit of the French Navy to be awarded the Legion of Honor and the War Cross 1939–45 for its service.

Constructive features

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

During the seated war (September 1939 - May 1940) the submarine made several unsuccessful patrols in the North Sea and off the Norwegian coast.

After France surrendered on June 22, 1940, the Casabianca remained in the service of the official French navy, which was under the control of the pro-German Vichy regime . The boat has been demobilized. The commander Jean L'Herminier , however, managed to keep the boat seaworthy against his orders. For example, he could illegally bunker 85 m³ of fuel.

In response to the Allied invasion of North Africa , the Wehrmacht also occupied the southern rest of France under Vichy's control in November 1942. German units tried to occupy the port of Toulon as quickly as possible in order to capture the French fleet lying there. However, the French seafarers managed to destroy most of the ships themselves . Due to the improper preparations of her commander, the Casabianca was ready to sail and was able to evade the fire of the pursuers by diving. She escaped to Algiers , where she joined the French armed forces under François Darlan and Henri Giraud . The same operation succeeded the Requin- class boat Marsouin and the L'Espoire- class boat Le Glorieux .

Between December 1942 and 1944, the Casabianca carried out seven secret missions, during the course of which they transported weapons, equipment and people to Corsica and Provence in support of the Maquis . Her most notable achievement was when she brought 100 elite soldiers to Corsica on her last secret mission.

After the liberation of Corsica, the submarine was mistakenly attacked and damaged by a British aircraft. The repair work in Philadelphia lasted until March 1945. The Casabianca was the only Agosta- class boat to survive the war.

The submarine was removed from the fleet register in 1952 and scrapped in 1956. However, the tower was preserved and has been on display in Bastia since 2004 .

In 1951, Georges Péclet made a film about the history of the Casabianca .

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 .

Web links

Commons : Casabianca (Q183) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Casabianca on uboat.net ( engl. )
Unveiling of the monument in Bastia ( French )
The film Casabianca in the Internet Movie Database

The film Casabianca in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Footnotes

↑ 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.

[Elektroleistung-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.