''Minerve'' (Q185/P26) was the lead ship of the s of 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 ...

. Commissioned in 1936, during World War II she served in the Free French Naval Forces, and was wrecked in late 1945.

Ship history

''Minerve'' was built at the ''Arsenal de

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

'', laid down on 17 August 1931, launched on 23 October 1934, and commissioned on 15 September 1936 into the ''2e Escadrille des Sous-Marins'' ("2nd Submarine Squadron") for service in the Atlantic. In August 1939 she was based at

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, and was detached in November 1939 to carry out surveillance around the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. Between February and May 1940 ''Minerve'' acted as an escort to seven convoys between Gibraltar and Liverpool. When the Germans invaded France on 10 May 1940 she was laid up undergoing maintenance, so on 18 June 1940 ''Minerve'', under the command of '' Lieutenant de Vaisseau'' Bazin left Brest towed by the tugboat ''Zeelew''. She was accompanied by her sister ship ''Junon'' towed by the ''Nessus'', and escorted by the patrol vessels ''Pessac'' and ''Sauternes''. Off

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of governm ...

, they were joined by the destroyer , and arrived at Plymouth on the 20th. On 3 July 1940 ''Minerve'' (along with all other French naval vessels in British ports) was boarded by Royal Navy troops as part of Operation Catapult, and the crew interned. ''Minerve'' was transferred to the control of the Free French Naval Forces in September 1940, and renumbered P26. She was recommissioned in January 1941 under the command of ''Lieutenant de Vaisseau'' Pierre Sonneville and while based at

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

carried out patrols around the coast of Scotland, in the North Sea, and the Atlantic. On 19 April 1941 ''Minerve'' attacked the Norwegian oil tanker ''Tiger'' off Egersund, Norway. Both torpedoes missed, and the submarine sustained some damage from depth charges dropped by escorting German destroyers, but managed to escape. In April 1942, she was part of the covering force escorting

Convoy PQ 15 Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships out ...

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...

. From October 1942 ''Minerve'' was under the command of ''

Capitaine de Corvette Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy use ...

'' Henri Simon-Dubuisson. On 10 October 1943, while on a patrol of the Western Approaches from Plymouth, ''Minerve'' surfaced to carry out repairs on a diesel engine while about 300 nautical miles west of Brest. She was attacked in error by a RAF Coastal Command

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

with rockets. Two crewmen were killed and two wounded, and the submarine's hull was badly damaged, but she managed to return to Britain escorted by the destroyer . On 19 September 1945, ''Minerve'' was being towed to France, but broke free in heavy weather and was wrecked on

Portland Bill Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorio ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minerve (Q185) 1934 ships Ships built in France World War II submarines of France Submarines of the Free French Naval Forces Friendly fire incidents of World War II Maritime incidents in October 1943 Maritime incidents in September 1945 Shipwrecks in the English Channel

Ship history

See also

References