French submarine Circé
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
| |
| Name: | Circé |
| Namesake: | Circe |
| Builder: | Arsenal de Toulon |
| Laid down: | 1905 |
| Launched: | 19 September 1907 |
| Completed: | 1909 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: Q47 |
| Fate: | Sunk by U-47, 20 September 1918 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type: | Circé-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 47.13 m (154 ft 8 in) (o/a) |
| Beam: | 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Draft: | 3.24 m (10 ft 8 in) |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Test depth: | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Complement: | 2 officers and 20 crewmen |
| Armament: | 4 × external 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo launchers (2 × forward, 2 × aft) |
Circé was the name ship of her class of two submarines built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
Construction and career
On 29 April 1915, Circé made several attempts to penetrate the harbour of Cattaro. Finally she gained entrance, but found no targets and had to retire. On 31 March 1917 in the Adriatic, she launched a torpedo towards the German submarine SM UC-35, but missed.
On 24 May 1917, under command of Lt. Hélion De Cambourg, she succeeded in sinking the German submarine SM UC-24. This was one of the few kills (if not the only) by a French submarine during World War I.
On 20 September 1918, Circé under command of Lt. Henri Viaud was on anti-submarine patrol in the Southern Adriatic Sea, off Cattaro, when she was torpedoed by the Austro-Hungarian submarine UB-47 at 04:00, while recharging her batteries. Only one survivor, second-in-command Eugène Lapeyre, was picked up.
Bibliography
- Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allen. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Garier, Gérard (2002). A l'épreuve de la Grande Guerre. L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French) 3–2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-81-5.
- Garier, Gérard (1998). Des Émeraude (1905–1906) au Charles Brun (1908–1933). L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French) 2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-34-3.
External links
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