 Galatée at Oran, 1932
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sirène class |
| Builders | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Built | 1925–1927 |
| In commission | 1927–1944 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 64m (212ft) |
| Beam | 5.2m (17ft) |
| Draught | 4.3m (14ft) |
| Speed |
|
| Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) |
| Complement | 41 |
| Armament |
|
The Sirène-class submarines were a sub-class of the 600 Series built for the French Navy prior to World War II. There were four vessels in the class, built to a Loire-Simonot design. They were ordered in 1925 and completed by 1927.[1][2] Three of the four boats of the Sirène class saw action during the Second World War, from September 1939 until the French armistice in June 1940.
General characteristics[edit]
The Sirènes had a displacement of 609 long tons (619 t) surfaced and 757 long tons (769 t) submerged. They had an endurance of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph), with a maximum surface speed of 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph), and a submerged speed of 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph). Their armament was seven torpedo tubes (3 forward, 2 midships, and 2 aft) with an outfit of 13 torpedoes. As with all French submarines of this period, the midships torpedo tubes were fitted externally in trainable mounts. They had a single 75 mm (3 in) and two 8 mm machine guns, and were manned by crews of 41 men.
Ships[edit]
- Sirène, scuttled November 1942 Toulon; raised, sunk in air raid June 1944.
- Naïade, (Q124) scuttled November 1942 Toulon; raised, sunk in air raid twice; April 1943, November 1943.
- Galatée, scuttled November 1942 Toulon; raised, sunk in air raid June 1944.
- Nymphe, decommissioned in 1938.