The ''Aurore'' class was a
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
of fifteen
coastal submarine
A coastal submarine or littoral submarine is a small, maneuverable submarine with shallow draft well suited to navigation of coastal channels and harbors. Although size is not precisely defined, coastal submarines are larger than midget submarine ...
s designed for the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. 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
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
after the
Fall of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
, 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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the second reverting to French control while still uncompleted.
Five of the
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s, , , , and , 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 snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. British Royal Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort. A concept devised by Dutch engineers, it was widely used ...
s.
Ships
*
: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
*
:Builder: Le Havre
:Ordered: 1937
:Laid down: December 1937
:Launched: 8 June 1940
:Fate: Broken up in 1961
*
:Builder: Le Havre
:Ordered: 1937
:Laid down: December 1937
:Launched: -
:Fate: Broken up in June 1940 still on keel, never finished
*
:Builder: Rouen
:Ordered: 1937
:Laid down: December 1937
:Launched: September 1938
:Fate: Taken by the German, becoming ''UF-2''; scuttled in 1945 at
Gotenhafen
*
:Builder: Rouen
:Ordered: 1937
:Laid down: December 1937
:Launched:7 December 1946
:Fate: Broken up in 1963
*
:Builder: Nantes
:Ordered: 1938
:Laid down: November 1938
:Launched: 3 May 1946
:Fate: Broken up in 1965
*
:Builder: Nantes
:Ordered: 1938
:Laid down: November 1938
:Launched: 17 November 1949
:Fate: Broken up in 1965
*
:Builder: Chalon-sur-Saône
:Ordered: 1938
:Laid down: November 1938
:Launched: -
:Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished
*
:Builder: Rouen
:Ordered: 1938
:Laid down: November 1938
:Launched: -
:Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished
*
:Builder: Le Havre
:Ordered: 1939
:Laid down: May 1939
:Launched: 28 June 1942
:Fate: Broken up in 1967
*
:Builder: Rouen
:Ordered: 1938
:Laid down: May 1939
:Launched: -
:Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished
*
:Builder: Le Havre
:Ordered: 1939
:Launched:
:Fate: Broken up on keel while only 8% built
*
:Builder: Le Havre
:Ordered:
:Launched:
:Fate: Broken up on keel while only 5% built
*
:Builder: Nantes
:Ordered:
:Launched:
:Fate: Broken up in 1940 still on keel, never finished
*
:Builder:
:Ordered:
:Launched:
:Fate: Keel never laid
See also
*
List of submarines of France
*
French submarines of World War II
References
*
External links
Les sous marins de type "AURORE"
{{WWII French ships
Submarine classes
Ship classes of the French Navy