SURCOUF (submarine)

The Surcouf was a one-of-a-kind submarine. It was known as “submarine cruiser” due to the installation of two 203mm naval guns. Although the concept of this type of ship was of German origin, it was the French with this submarine, and the British with the “M” class boats, who carried it out. The Surcouf‘s main mission was to destroy single-sailing merchant ships and the pursuit of enemy convoys. The French Navy designated this ship as a “corsair submarine” and although they believed that a submarine armed with powerful guns capable of sinking merchant ships from a long distance seemed the right thing to do, in the case of the Surcouf it was not.

SURCOUF gallery and more info

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Información adicional

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Country of origin

France

Builder

Cherbourg Arsenal

Type

Submarine (conventional propulsion)

Entered service

1934

Complement

118

Displacement, (full load)

Surfaced: 3,270 tonnes – Submerged: 4,250 tonnes

Dimensions (length x beam x draught)

110 x 9.00 x 9.07 meters

Power plant

Surfaced: 2 x Sulzer diesel engines, 3,800 hp each – Submerged: 2 x electric motors, 1,700 hp each

Power, (total)

7,600 hp + 3,400 hp

Shafts - Screws

2 shafts – 2 screws

Speed

Surfaced: 18 knots (33 km/h) – Submerged: 8.5 knots (15 km/h)

Diving depth, (maximum)

80 meters

Range

Surfaced: 10,000 n. miles (18,500 km) at 10 knots – Submerged: 110 km at 5 knots

Aircrafts

1 x Besson MB.411 seaplane

Ammunition

600 x 203mm shells + 14 x 550mm torpedoes + 8 x 400mm torpedoes

Main guns

2 x 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 naval guns in a barbette mounting

AA guns

2 x 37 mm anti-aircraft guns in single mounts

Machine guns

4 x 13.2mm in twin mounts

Torpedoes

6 x 550 mm torpedo tubes + 4 x 400 mm torpedo tubes