Aréthuse class submarine
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 The conning tower of Argonaute |
|
| France |  |
|---|---|
| Operators: |  Marine nationale |
| Following class: | Rubis |
| In service: | 1958 |
| Out of service: | 1981 |
| Ships in Class | |
| Ships in class: | 4 |
| Sunk ships: | Arethuse (1982, as practice target) Amazone (1985, as practice target) |
| Preserved ships: | Argonaute |
| General Characteristics | |
| Class type: | Diesel-electric attack submarine |
| Displacement: | 543 tons surfaced, 669 tons submerged |
| Length: | 49.6 m |
| Beam: | 5.8 m |
| Draft: | 4 m |
| Propulsion and power: | 1 shaft, 2 × 12 cylinder diesel engines (1060 hp), 1 electric motor (1300 hp) |
| Speed: | 12.5 knots surfaced 16 knots submerged |
| Complement: | 39 |
| Armament: | 4 × 550 mm torpedo tubes (8 torpedoes carried) |
The Aréthuse class were submarines built for the French Navy in the 1950's. They were designed as hunter killer submarines for anti-submarine warfare and were referred to as Sous-marins de Chase by the Marine Nationale. These submarines had advanced sensors and were very quiet. They were influenced by the World War II German Type XXIII U-boat. They were always based in the Mediterranean.
[edit] Ships
All boats built by the Arsenal de Cherbourg
- S635 Arethuse - launched 9 November 1957, completed 23 October 1958 - decommissioned April 1979
- S636 Argonaute - launched 29 June 1957, completed 11 February 1959 - decommissioned 1982 preserved as a museum in the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Paris
- S639 Amazone - launched 3 April 1958, completed 1 July 1959 - decommissioned July 1980
- S640 Ariane - launched 12 September 1958, completed 16 March 1960 - decommissioned March 1981
