French submarine Perle (1935)


Perle was a built for the French Navy in the mid-1930s. Laid down in 1931, she was launched in July 1935 and commissioned in March 1937. In November 1942, after Operation Torch, Perle joined the Allied fleet. While returning from refitting in the United States, Perle was mistaken for a U-boat by Allied aircraft and sunk.

Design

Perle had a surfaced displacement of and a submerged displacement of. Her dimensions were long, with a beam of and a draught of. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two Normand-Vickers diesel motors with a total of and while submerged by two electric motors providing a total of through two shafts giving a maximum speed of while surfaced and while submerged. Her bunkers of of oil fuel gave her a surfaced range of at, and at and her batteries a submerged range of at. She carried a complement of 42 men
and could dive up to.
The Saphir-class submarines were constructed to be able to launch torpedoes and lay mines without surfacing. The moored contact mines they used contained of TNT and operated at up to of depth. They were attached to the submarine's exterior under a hydrodynamic protection.

Service history

in 1931, Perle was launched in July 1935 and commissioned in March 1937. In November 1942, after Operation Torch, Perle joined the Allied fleet and was assigned to Dakar. After taking part in several operations, Perle sailed to the United States for refitting. On 26 June 1944, it left port and, after stopping in Newfoundland, Perle set sail for the port of Dundee in Scotland to participate in operations off Norway. On 8 July, Perle was mistaken for a U-boat by an Allied Fairey Swordfish and sunk in position. Approximately 17 of the crew of 42 survived the sinking but only one was rescued. The crew killed aboard Perle were the last casualties among French submariners in World War II.

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