Aréthuse-class submarine

The conning tower of Argonaute
Class overview
Operators:  French Navy
Succeeded by: Daphné
In service: 1958 - 1981
Completed: 4
Retired: 4
Preserved: 1
General characteristics
Displacement: 543 tons surfaced, 669 tons submerged
Length: 49.6 m
Beam: 5.8 m
Draft: 4 m
Propulsion: 1 shaft, 2 × 12-cylinder diesel engines 1,060 hp (790 kW), 1 electric motor 1,300 hp (970 kW)
Speed:
  • 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) surfaced
  • 16 knots (30 km/h) submerged
Complement: 39
Armament: 4 × 550 mm torpedo tubes (8 torpedoes carried)

The Aréthuse class were submarines built for the French Navy in the 1950s. They were designed as hunter killer submarines for anti-submarine warfare and were referred to as Sous-marins de Chasse by the Marine Nationale. These submarines had advanced sensors and were very quiet. They were influenced by the World War II German Type XXIII U-boat. They were always based in the Mediterranean.

The Daphné class submarines are an enlarged version built for the French, Pakistani, Portuguese, Spanish and South African Navies.

Ships

Name Launched Completed Decommissioned
S635 Aréthuse 9 November 1957, 23 October 1958 April 1979
S636 Argonaute 29 June 1957 11 February 1959 1982 preserved as a museum in the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Paris
S639 Amazone 3 April 1958 1 July 1959 July 1980
S640 Ariane 12 September 1958, 16 March 1960 March 1981

All of the boats were built by the Arsenal de Cherbourg.

References


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