The Diane class had an average U-boat - ship class of the French Navy . In the French type classification at the time, it was class 2 boats. The nine boats of the class were built between 1928 and 1934 at the shipyards “Chantier Augustin Normand” in Le Havre and “Chantier de la Seine” in Rouen . The class is also known as 630-ton Type F , respectively.
During Operation Torch , the Allied landing in French North Africa in November 1942, four boats were sunk by the US Navy off Casablanca . Two boats were able to flee to Dakar in French West Africa , which was under Free French control, and were taken over by the Free French Navy. Diane was sunk before Oran , Orphée in North Africa was conquered by the Allies. La Sibylle sank in November 1942 under unexplained circumstances.
Where to find: Escaped to Dakar in 1942 and was taken over by the Free French Navy. Amazone was decommissioned on April 26, 1946.
Amphitrite
Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
Keel laying: August 8, 1928
Launched: December 20, 1930
Commissioning: June 8, 1933
Where: Was sunk on November 8, 1942 in Casablanca by the US battleship Massachusetts and accompanying ships and aircraft belonging to the aircraft carrier Ranger . The wreck was lifted by the Allies. Amazone was finally canceled in May 1946.
Antiope
Builder: Chantier de la Seine (Rouen)
Keel laid: December 28, 1928
Launched: August 18, 1930
Commissioning: October 12, 1933
Where to find: Escaped to Dakar in 1942 and was taken over by the Free French Navy. Antiope was decommissioned on April 26, 1946.
Diane
Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
Keel laid: January 4, 1928
Launched: May 13, 1930
Commissioning: September 1, 1932
Where: Diane was scuttled off Oran on November 9, 1942.
La Psyché
Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
Keel laying: December 26, 1930
Launched: August 4th, 1932
Commissioning: December 23, 1933
Where: Was sunk by US aircraft on November 8, 1942 off Casablanca. The wreck was lifted in 1944 but not repaired.
La Sibylle
Builder: Chantier de la Seine (Rouen)
Keel laid: January 10, 1931
Launched: January 28, 1933
Commissioning: December 22, 1934
Where to?: The boat left Casablanca on November 8, 1942 and has been missing ever since.
Méduse
Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
Keel laid: January 1, 1928
Launched: August 26, 1930
Commissioning: September 1, 1932
Where: On November 10, 1942 off Casablanca, badly damaged by US aircraft. The boat ran aground at El Jadida and was destroyed by an aircraft on the US light cruiser Philadelphia .
Oréade
Builder: Chantier de la Seine (Rouen)
Keel laid: August 15, 1929
Launched: May 23, 1932
Commissioning: December 14, 1933
Where: Was sunk on November 8, 1942 in the port of Casablanca by a US aircraft.
Orphée
Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
Keel laying: August 22, 1929
Launched: November 10, 1931
Commissioning: June 8, 1933
Where to go: Was taken over by the Free French Navy after the Allied landing in North Africa and decommissioned on April 15, 1946 after the end of the war.
literature
Erminio Bagnasco: Submarines in World War II . 5th edition. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-613-01252-9
↑ 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 .
↑ a b c d e uboat.net gives as a shipyard “Ch. Worms ”in Rouen. Erminio Bagnasco mentions submarines in WWII as the shipyard “Chantier de la Seine”, also in Rouen.