Galatée at Oran, 1932 | |
Class overview | |
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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 |
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Length | 64m (212ft) |
Beam | 5.2m (17ft) |
Draught | 4.3m (14ft) |
Speed |
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Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) |
Complement | 41 |
Armament |
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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
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.