FS Surcouf (N N 3)

History

The Surcouf (N N 3) was a French-designed giant attack submarine, designed and built during the interwar period between the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). At the time of her completion, she was the largest (displacement) submarine ever built, a triumph of French naval engineering.

She also carried a battleship-caliber 8-inch deck gun, the largest on a submarine allowed by the Washington Naval Treaty at the time (in an attempt to control naval upgrades between world powers), making her one of the most unique ships of WWII.

Surcouf ordered in December 1927, launched in October 1929, commissioned in May 1934. It is named after Robert Surcuff (1773-1827) who made his fortune roaming the Indian Ocean as a privateer and trader during the second half of the 18th and 19th centuries. While at sea, he was awarded the "Saber of Honor" and "Legion of Honor" medals.

The Surcouf submarine served the French Navy as the "N N 3" pennant and was designed as a three-man class, although only one ship was completed - primarily serving the role of an experimental cruiser submarine.

In any case, further movements of the French fleet in the war were suppressed. Surcouf remained under British supervision for the time being, and her overhaul was completed in August 1940. Command of the ship was then handed over to the new Free French Navy, which acted as a proxy naval force for France when Paris was occupied by Germany (the German-leaning Vichy French represented the new French government). One of the ship's first deployments came from Halifax to escort Allied ships across the dangerous Atlantic Ocean surrounded by German aircraft and U-boat raids. In July 1941, Surkuff himself suffered damage from German aircraft and was forced to go to the U.S.

Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth for repairs and overhauls. She then sailed to New London, Connecticut, and returned to Halifax in November 1941.

In December 1941, Surcouf, along with other Free French naval units, recaptured the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland. The current Free French government then ordered the Surcouf to sail towards the Pacific.

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, officially declaring war on the United States. The United States and Britain would then lead a bloody, years-long campaign to retake Japanese territory in the Pacific.

On her way to the Pacific Ocean, the Surcouf had to pass the famous Panama Canal. She resupplied in Bermuda before crossing the English Channel to her destination, Tahiti, French Polynesia. However, it is believed that on the night of February 18, 1942, during its voyage across the Gulf of Mexico, the surfaced ship was hit - essentially run over - by the passing US freighter Thompson Lex.

The damage was obvious enough to sink the Surcouf, which sank everyone into the sea. The freighter unknowingly moved on, while Sulkuf sank where she sat. Other sources claim that "friendly fire" has caught them deep.

In any case, the mighty French submarine is gone forever, and its wreck is still waiting to be discovered today (October 2013).

A monument was erected in memory of her crew in the French port city of Cherbourg, where the Surcouf made its home. The Surcouf was never a truly successful design, although she was one of the most successful types of cruisers the nation had thrown into the sea before World War II.

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