"Who Sank the French Submarine 'Surcouf' ?" Surcouf was a French submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched on 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. Surcouf – named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf – was the largest submarine ever built until surpassed by the first Japanese I-400-class submarine in 1943. Her short wartime career was marked with controversy and conspiracy theories. She was classified as an "undersea cruiser" by sources of her time. Surcouf displaced 3,304 tons on the surface and was 361 feet long. Powered by two large 3,800-horsepower Sulzer Diesel engines, her top speed was 18 knots on the surface and ten submerged. She had a range of 10,000 miles and could carry enough supplies for a 90 day cruise for her crew; eight officers and 110 enlisted men. Her armaments were quite impressive. In a special watertight turret forward of the tower she carried two eight-inch naval guns, the same type found on French heavy cruisers. For anti-aircraft defense she originally carried two 37mm guns, which would later be supplemented with two dual 13.2mm machine gun mounts. Regardless of exact configuration, a total of fourteen 21.7" and eight 15.7" torpedoes were carried. In 1940, Surcouf was based in Cherbourg, but in May, when the Germans invaded, she was being refitted in Brest. With only one engine functioning and with a jammed rudder, she limped across the English Channel and sought refuge in Plymouth. Surcouf saw limited action escorting trans-Atlantic convoys and was damaged by a German plane in April 1941, after repair in the USA she stayed around the east coast of the US and Canada until being ordered to deploy to the Pacific theatre via the Panama Canal. Surcouf may have been sunk on 18 February 1942 about 80 mi (70 nmi; 130 km) north of Cristóbal, Colón, while en route for Tahiti via the Panama Canal. The American freighter Thompson Lykes, steaming alone from Guantanamo Bay on what was a very dark night, reported hitting and running down a partially submerged object which scraped along her side and keel. Her lookouts heard people in the water but the freighter carried on its course without stopping, as they thought that they had struck a German U-boat, though cries for help were heard in English. A signal was sent to Panama describing the incident. The loss of Surcouf was announced by the Free French Headquarters in London on 18 April 1942. Colourised by Paul Reynolds
1) Sous-Marin Q168 Le Glorieux 2) Sous-Marin S616 Saphir 3) Sous-Marin Rubis 4) British Roayl Navy HAM Sportsman S Class Submarine, transferred to the French Navy as the La Sibylle Sous-marin, then lost at sea in 1952. 5) Sous-Marin Q206 L'Artemis 6) Sous-Marin Q196 L'Africaine which had been captrued by the Germans in 1940, redesignated the UF-1, and now back in French hands at the end of WWII. 7) German U-766 U-Boat after it had been surrendered and redesignated the French Sous-Marin S610 Laubie. 8) Sous-Marin Q201 L'Andromede Submarine (Aurore Class). 9) WWII French Mini-Submarines 47 and 90. 10) Sous-Marin Q186 Junon
1) German U-123 U-Boat after it had been surrendered and redesignated the French Sous-Marin Q165 Blaison. 2) German U-2518 U-Boat after it had been surrendered and redesignated the French Sous-Marin Roland Morillot. 3) German U-510 U-Boat after it had been surrendered and redesignated the French Sous-Marin Commandant Bouan.
Есть ещё такой вариант, что Сюркуф по ошибке утопили самолёты 3й эскадрильи 6й тяжёлой бомбардировочной группы USAF - 3rd BS 6th BG (Heavy) утром 19 февраля. Инцидент зафиксирован в ЖБД группы. Сначала решили, что утопили германца, но оказалось, что в том районе германцев на тот момент не вообще было. Видимо, повреждённая лодка шла без радиосвязи в надводном положении.
Интересно почему сейчас по прошествии такого кол-ва времени ее не поднимают? Если предположительное место нахождение известно( А то пишут что пропала с концами.
