French submarine Saphir (1928)
Service
- as Saphir30 September 1930 — 8 December 19421,194 days of the war
- as FR 1128 December 1942 — 15 September 1943281 days of the war
- Name
- Saphir
- Pennant / hull number
- 1928
- Namesake
- Sapphire
- Builder
- Arsenal de Toulon
- Laid down
- 25 May 1926
- Launched
- 20 December 1928
- Commissioned
- 30 September 1930
- Fate
- Captured and scuttled by German forces on 15 September 1943 (1943)
- Status
- Wreck
Specifications
- Displacement, surfaced
- 761 long tons (773 t)
- Displacement, submerged
- 925 long tons (940 t)
- Length
- 66 m (216.5 ft)
- Beam
- 7.1 m (23.3 ft)
- Draught
- 4.3 m (14.1 ft)
- Speed
- 12 knots (22.2 km/h, 13.8 mph)
- Range
- 7,000 nmi (12,964 km)
- Complement
- 42
- Main gun
- 75 mm (3 in)
Saphir was a Saphir-class submarine, operated by the Marine Nationale. She carried the pennant number 1928. She was named for Sapphire. Arsenal de Toulon laid her keel on 25 May 1926. Launched on 20 December 1928, she entered service on 30 September 1930.
Six ships of the class were built.
The boat displaced 761 long tons surfaced and 925 long tons submerged. She measured 66 m (217 ft) long with a beam of 7.1 m (23 ft). Her designed speed was 12 knots, and she carried a complement of 42.
Her main battery was one 75 mm (3.0 in) guns.
She served with the Marine Nationale as Saphir until 8 December 1942. She then passed to the Regia Marina, serving as FR 112 from 8 December 1942. She was in commission for 1,475 days of the Second World War.
She was scuttled on 15 September 1943. The wreck survives.
Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.
Armament and machinery
Armament and machinery
- Propulsion
- 2 × diesel engines, 1300 hp
- 2 × electric motors, 1100 hp
- Armament
- 3 × 550 mm torpedo tubes
- 2 × 400 mm torpedo tubes
- 1 × 75 mm deck gun
- 2 × 13.2 mm machine guns
- 2 × 8 mm machine guns
- 32 × mines
Sister ships
Sources
- Facts harvested from French submarine Saphir (1928) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: Unknown author — http://images-01.delcampe-static.net/img_large/auction/000/321/078/291_001.jpg Scanned French postcard — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons