Aurore-class submarine

The Aurore class was a class of fifteen coastal submarines designed for the French Navy. The prototype – Aurore – was authorised in 1934, the next four in 1937, a further four in 1938, two in 1938, and a final four subsequently. Some of the ships were captured by Nazi Germany after the Fall of France, most of them in an unfinished state; two were intended to be completed for the German Navy, Africaine becoming UF-1 and Favorite becoming UF-2, but only the first was completed during the World War II, the second reverting to French control while still uncompleted.

Model of Africaine
Class overview
Name	Aurore
Builders	Le Havre, Nantes, Toulon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Rouen
Operators	French Navy Kriegsmarine
Preceded by	Minerve class
Succeeded by	Narval class
In service	1939–1962
Planned	15
Completed	7
Cancelled	8
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	900 tonnes (890 long tons) surfaced 1,170 tonnes (1,150 long tons) submerged
Length	73.5 m (241 ft 2 in)
Beam	6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draught	4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	Diesel: 2,200 kW (3,000 shp) 1,000 kW (1,400 hp) electrical
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range	5,600 nmi (10,400 km; 6,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h) submerged
Test depth	100 m (330 ft)
Armament	1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun 2 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns 9 × 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow internal, 3 external amidships, and 2 stern external)

Five of the submarines, Andromède, Astrée, Africaine, Artémis and Créole, were completed after the war, were commissioned in the French Navy and served into the 1960s. Andromède, Artémis and Créole were fitted with GUPPY sails and submarine snorkels.

Ships

• Aurore (Q192)

Builder: Toulon

Ordered: 1934

Laid down: December 1935

Launched: 26 July 1939

Fate: Scuttled during the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon on 27 November 1942

• Créole (Q193)

Builder: Le Havre

Ordered: 1937

Laid down: December 1937

Launched: 8 June 1940

Fate: Broken up in 1961

• Bayadère (Q194)

Builder: Le Havre

Ordered: 1937

Laid down: December 1937

Launched: -

Fate: Broken up in June 1940 still on keel, never finished

• Favorite (Q195)

Builder: Rouen

Ordered: 1937

Laid down: December 1937

Launched: September 1938

Fate: Taken by the German, becoming UF-2; scuttled in 1945 at Gotenhafen

• Africaine (Q196)

Builder: Rouen

Ordered: 1937

Laid down: December 1937

Launched:7 December 1946

Fate: Broken up in 1963

• Astrée (Q200)

Builder: Nantes

Ordered: 1938

Laid down: November 1938

Launched: 3 May 1946

Fate: Broken up in 1965

• Andromède (Q201)

Builder: Nantes

Ordered: 1938

Laid down: November 1938

Launched: 17 November 1949

Fate: Broken up in 1965

• Antigone (Q202)

Builder: Chalon-sur-Saône

Ordered: 1938

Laid down: November 1938

Launched: -

Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished

• Andromaque (Q203)

Builder: Rouen

Ordered: 1938

Laid down: November 1938

Launched: -

Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished

• Artémis (Q206)

Builder: Le Havre

Ordered: 1939

Laid down: May 1939

Launched: 28 June 1942

Fate: Broken up in 1967

• Armide (Q207)

Builder: Rouen

Ordered: 1938

Laid down: May 1939

Launched: -

Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished

• Hermione (Q211)

Builder: Le Havre

Ordered: 1939

Launched:

Fate: Broken up on keel while only 8% built

• Gorgone (Q212)

Builder: Le Havre

Ordered:

Launched:

Fate: Broken up on keel while only 5% built

• Clorinde (Q213)

Builder: Nantes

Ordered:

Launched:

Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished

• Cornélie (Q214)

Builder:

Ordered:

Launched:

Fate: Keel never laid

See also

• List of submarines of France
• French submarines of World War II

References

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.

External links

• Les sous marins de type "AURORE" (in French)