Casabianca (Q183)
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| Career France |   |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1931 |
| Launched: | 2 February 1935 |
| Commissioned: | 1935 |
| Struck: | 12 February 1952 |
| Status: | scrapped in 1956 |
| Homeport: | Toulon |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1500 tonnes (surfaced) 2000 tonnes (submerged) |
| Length: | 92.30 m |
| Beam: | |
| Propulsion: | 2 diesels, of 4,300 HP 2 electric engines of 1,200 HP |
| Speed: | 20 knots (surfaced) 10 knots (submerged) |
| Range: | 14,000 miles at 7 knots, 10,000 miles at 10 knots |
| Test depth: | 80 meters |
| Complement: | 5 officers (6 in operations) 79 men |
| Armament: | 11 torpedo tubes 1 x 100 mm gun |
| Nickname: | "Le Casa" |
| Honours and awards: | Ordre de la Libération |
The Casabianca (Q.183) was a submarine of the French Navy, named in honour of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. She became famous with her spectacular escape from Toulon, as the Nazis invaded the so-called "Free zone" and tried to seize the French fleet. She fought gallantly afterward, earning the Ordre de la Libération, and became a symbol of the Free French Forces.
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[edit] Phony War, Vichy France and Escape from Toulon
During the Phony War, the Casabianca undertook uneventful cruises in the North Sea and off Norway. After the Fall of France and subsequent armistice, she was disarmed in 1941.
Her new captain, Capitaine de Vaisseau Jean L'Herminier, managed to illegally restore the fighting potential of the submarine, and store 85 m³ of fuel aboard.
On November 27, 1942, the SS stormed the harbour of Toulon to seize the French fleet, triggering the scuttling of the French fleet. As other vessels were scuttled by their crews, the Casabianca managed to set sail and dive, under fire from the Nazis. She sailed south to Algiers, where she surfaced in front of the screen of British patrol boats before signaling her status and intentions. Two other submarines, the Marsouin [1] and the Glorieux [2], arrived in the next few days.
[edit] Missions for the secret services
From December 1942 to 1944, the Casabianca landed intelligence elements, radios, ammunitions and weapons in Corsica and Provence for the Maquis. Her elusiveness earned her the nickname of "Phantom Submarine" from German troops.
In her last mission, she landed a hundred men of the elite forces (achieving a record for a submarine of such a displacement in the process).
[edit] End of the war
After the liberation of Corsica, the Casabianca was used for regular patrols. In 1944, she was hit in a friendly fire accident by a British plane, and had to refit in Philadelphia until March 1945.
[edit] Achievements
During her career, the Casabianca achieved the following success :
- 1 warship sunk by torpedo
- 1 warship sunk by gun
- 1 merchantman hit by torpedo
- 7 secret missions
- Liberation of Corsica
[edit] Trivia
- The nuclear submarine Casabianca is named in her honour.
- Since 2004, the conning tower of the Casabianca has been on display in Bastia near the harbour [3].
- A film was made in 1951 : [4]
[edit] External links
- (French) L'épopée du Casabianca
- (French) [5]
- (French) Q183
