Minerve class
Minerve class 
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| General data | |
| Ship type : | Submarine |
| Navy : | |
| Builders : | |
| Units: | 6th |
| Boats of the class | |
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| Technical specifications | |
| Crew: | 42 men |
| Displacement : |
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| Length : | 68.1 m |
| Width: | 5.6 m |
| Draft : | 3.6 m |
| Drive : | |
| Speed : | |
| Fuel supply: | 60 ts |
| Driving range: |
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| Diving depth : | 80 m |
| Armament | |
| Artillery : | 1 * 75mm L / 35 deck gun |
| Air defense : | 2 * 13.2mm MG (2 * 1) |
| Torpedoes : |
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The Minerve class had an average U-boat - ship class of the French Navy in the Second World War . In the French type classification of the time, it was Class 2 boats. The six boats were used by both the Vichy-French and the Free French Navy.
Constructive features
The two-hull construction was based on a state design and was a further development of the 630 ton type . The most important improvements concerned the reinforced and better arranged torpedo armament. All six 550 mm torpedo tubes were arranged internally. Four were in the bow, two in the stern. The three 400 mm pipes were mounted externally in a single pivoting triplet set located behind the tower . Another modernization compared to the 630-tonne type involved increasing the drive power of the diesel engines from Vickers and Schneider. The electric drive power has also been increased.
At the start of the war in 1939, the Minerve-class boats were the most modern medium-sized submarines in the French Navy.
Mission history
At the time of the French surrender in June 1940, Junon and Minerve were in Great Britain, where they were confiscated on July 3 as part of Operation Grasp . The British made the two submarines available to the Free French Navy. The remaining four boats remained under Vichy-French control.
On October 10, 1942, an Allied aircraft mistakenly attacked the Minerve with missiles 300 nautical miles west of Brest , killing two sailors. The free French Junon sank on 19 October 1942, the Norwegian merchant ship Nordland off the west coast of Norway at position 67 ° 12 '0 " N , 12 ° 57' 0" O .
As a result of the Allied landing in French North Africa and the subsequent German invasion of southern France, Vénus in Toulon and Pallas and Céres in Oran were scuttled to prevent the Axis powers from attacking . Iris went to Spain and was interned there . The boat returned to France after the end of the war.
The two free French boats and the one interned in Spain survived the war.
The Minerve ran aground on September 19, 1945 and sank. The gutted largely wreck lies off the Isle of Portland in 10 m depth at the position 50 ° 31 '1 " N , 2 ° 27' 6" W . Iris was decommissioned in 1950 and Junon in 1954.
Boats of the class
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Céres
- Case number: Q 190
- Builder : Chantier Worms ( Rouen )
- Keel laying : August 8, 1936
- Launched : December 9, 1938
- Commissioning:?
- The whereabouts: in On November 9, 1942 Oran scuttled
- iris
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Junon
- Case number: Q 186
- Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand ( Le Havre )
- Keel laid: June 9, 1932
- Launched: September 15, 1935
- Commissioning: September 20, 1937
- Location: Confiscated by the British on July 3, 1940 and later handed over to the Free French Navy. Shut down in 1954.
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Minerve
- Case number: Q 185
- Builder: Arsenal de Cherbourg ( Cherbourg )
- Keel laying: August 17, 1931
- Launched: October 23, 1934
- Commissioning: September 15, 1936
- Location: Confiscated by the British on July 3, 1940 and later handed over to the Free French Navy. Run aground on September 19, 1945 and abandoned.
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Pallas
- Case number: Q 189
- Builder: Chantier Augustin Normand (Le Havre)
- Keel laid: October 19, 1936
- Launched: August 25, 1938
- Commissioning:?
- Location: Sunk in Oran on November 9, 1942. Elevated by the allies and canceled in 1944.
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Venus
- Case number: Q 187
- Builder: Chantier Worms (Rouen)
- Keel laying: June 27, 1932
- Launched: April 6, 1935
- Commissioning: November 15, 1936
- Whereabouts: self- sunk in Toulon on November 27, 1942 .
See also
Web links
literature
- Erminio Bagnasco: Submarines in World War II , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 5th edition 1996, ISBN 3-613-01252-9
Explanations
- ↑ The French metric 550 mm standard can be converted to the internationally widespread 533 mm (21 inch ) standard using plug-in adapters.
- ↑ The French Navy distinguished 3 classes of submarines: 1st class boats were deep-sea boats. 2nd class boats were smaller coastal boats. 3rd class boats were mine layers .