By 9 November 1942, she was part of the French West Africa Submarine Group. In August 1942, Argo transferred to French West Africa, departing Casablanca on 10 August 1942 in company with Le Centaure and their sister ship Archimède and arriving on 16 August 1942 at Dakar in Senegal, where the three submarines formed the 3rd Submarine Division. She ran aground in fog while entering port at Casablanca on 5 July 1942 and suffered hull damage that kept her out of service for several weeks while undergoing repairs. During operations off the coast of French Morocco, she called at Safi from 28 March to 2 April 1942 and with Le Centaure at Mogador from 5 to. On 12 March 1942 she returned to Casablanca. On 25 June 1940, the Battle of France ended in France's defeat and armistice with Germany and Italy.Īfter the French surrender, Argo served in the naval forces of Vichy France. German ground forces advanced into France during the Battle of France in May–June 1940, and Italy declared war on France on 10 June 1940 and joined the invasion. In April 1940, Argo became part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla, based at Bizerte in Tunisia. On 6 February 1940, the 4th Submarine Division was reassigned to Casablanca in French Morocco. Part of the German merchant fleet - which the Allies suspected of serving as supply ships for German U-boats - took refuge in both the Azores and the Canary Islands at the start of the war, and on either 3 or 19 September 1939, according to different sources, Argo and Le Centaure began patrols off the Azores and the Canary Islands in search of German submarines and their supply ships. Her sister ships Henri Poincaré, Le Centaure, and Pascal made up the rest of the division. Service history World War II French Navy Īt the start of World War II in September 1939, Argo was assigned to the 4th Submarine Division based in Brest, France. She was commissioned on 12 February 1933. Laid down at Chantiers Dubigeon in Nantes, France, on 25 August 1927 with the hull number Q151, Argo was launched on 11 April 1929. Underwater, they could travel 100 nautical miles (190 km 120 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h 5.8 mph). Also called “deep-cruising submarines”, their range on the surface was 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km 12,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h 12 mph). When submerged, their two electric motors produced a combined 2,250 horsepower (1,678 kW) and allowed them to reach 10 knots (19 km/h 12 mph).
![underwater submarine underwater submarine](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/09/16/3A35E79700000578-3920208-image-a-92_1478708820735.jpg)
Propelled on the surface by two diesel engines producing a combined 6,000 horsepower (4,474 kW), they had a maximum speed of 18.6 knots (34.4 km/h 21.4 mph).
![underwater submarine underwater submarine](https://newcarsz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5-134-1024x705.jpg)
They displaced 1,572 tonnes (1,547 long tons) on the surface and 2,082 tonnes (2,049 long tons) underwater. They could dive to a depth of 80 metres (262 ft). The Redoutable-class submarines were 92.3 metres (302 ft 10 in) long and 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in) in beam and had a draft of 4.4 metres (14 ft 5 in).
#Underwater submarine series
Profile of Casabianca, sister ship of Argo.Īrgo was part of a fairly homogeneous series of 31 deep-sea patrol submarines also called "1,500-tonners" because of their displacement. Along with Archimède, Casabianca, Le Centaure, and Le Glorieux, she was one of only five out of the 31 Redoutable-class submarines to survive the war.
#Underwater submarine free
She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France until November 1942, and finally in the Free French Naval Forces through the end of the war. 90 nmi (170 km 100 mi) at 7 kn (13 km/h 8.1 mph) (submerged)Īrgo was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1933.Argo in the Atlantic Ocean off the United States East Coast on 19 November 1944.Īrgo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology