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In ww1, the Germans decimate the British supply lines with their submarine fleet.
Other countries quickly understood the importance of such vessels and how the naval doctrine was forever changed by this new threat under the seas.
After investing serious funds into the creation of their own submarine fleet, the French decided to push forward with a daring concept of hybrid vessel which could provide the serious firepower of a cruiser and the ability for surprise attacks which at the time only the submarines could provide.
There were two types of goals behind the French decision to make the Surcouf submarine cruiser. First were geopolitical goals. One needs to remember that France still had a large empire that spanned four continents leading up to World War 2, and the French were determined to protect those interests.
The only way to do it effectively was through a strong and flexible navy.
Second were the military goals. Its principal purpose was to search and destroy enemy fleets in collaboration with its own fleet.
A sort of a weapon that would spearhead the assault or surprise the enemy fleet while the supporting ships can wreak havoc from the distance.
Another purpose was to engage in the active pursuit of enemy convoys on the open seas. Something like what Germans did with their U boats in WW1 and famous Wolf pack tactics in WW2.
So it was in 1927. That the decision was made and green light was given for the development of a new submarine class.
Building the Surcouf took 7 years before it was finally put into service in May 1934.
It was undoubtedly the largest submarine in its day courtesy of being 110 metres in length and having a surface weight of 3,304 tons. Being so large meant that the submarine could accommodate a crew of 8 officers and 110 men on board. Its interior also contained a cargo compartment that could hold 40 prisoners or lodge 40 passengers.
For comparison, the most famous German submarine of WW2, the Type VII was 67m long and had less than half of the crew of Surcouf.
Size would allow this beast to carry enough supplies for up 10000 nautical miles - or 90 days underwater!.
Its propulsion was provided by two diesel engines and two electric engines. It could attain a top speed of 18.5 knots, which is 34 kph on the surface and
10 knots, equivalent to 19kph when underwater.
But the thing that truly set this submarine as a class of it’s own were the weapons.
The Surcouf would house a twin-gun pressure-tight turret in front of the conning tower, equipped with 203 mm guns. These were akin in calibre to the guns of a heavy cruiser. Each gun had a 60-round magazine capacity and could fire five to six rounds per minute. The ammo was actually stored in a lift well underneath the turret, and brought up during engagements.
The vessel was equipped with a hangar and Marcel Besson MB.411 floatplane. This was important because the guns were hampered by having their range finders positioned so close to the water surface, given that a submarine sits lower in the water compared to a combat ship, so the floatplane could be used as a forward observer and provide the important information for the gunners.
Further fire power was provided by anti air cannons and machine guns for protection against anti submarine aircraft. two 37 mm anti-aircraft cannons and four 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns mounted on the top of the hangar.
The Surcouf was also equipped with 10 torpedo tubes, six of which were 550 mm and four of which were 400 mm tubes.
Four tubes were front facing, 3 were situated in the aft section of the submarine and 3 of them were also in the aft section but they could be used to fire torpedos to either port or starboard side.
However, all of this didn’t come without a bunch of issues.
The Surcouf was also a sluggish vessel, taking two minutes to dive to a depth of just 12 metres. This made the French sub very vulnerable to enemy aircraft, exacerbated by the fact that she had no form of radar on board.
The guns couldn’t be used when the sub’s roll was more than 8 degrees and it was almost efficient for any combat during harsh seas or night because the fall of shot couldn’t be observed.
But enough with the stats, le’s move on now to the story of its life and deployment.
