Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Marine Nationale — Submarine

French submarine Le Centaure

Redoutable-class submarine

French submarine Le Centaure
Marius Bar — Ajax — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate Sous marin français Ajax, de la classe Redoutable.

Service

  1. Marine Nationale as Le Centaure1 January 1935 — 19 June 19522,193 days of the war
Redoutable-class submarine Particulars
Name
Le Centaure
Namesake
Centaur, a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse
Builder
Arsenal de Brest, Brest, France
Laid down
1 August 1929
Launched
14 October 1932
Commissioned
1 January 1935
Decommissioned
19 June 1952
Status
Unknown

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,547 long tons (1,572 t)
Displacement, submerged
2,059 long tons (2,092 t)
Length
92.3 m (302.8 ft)
Beam
8.1 m (26.6 ft)
Draught
4.4 m (14.4 ft)
Speed
17.5 knots (32.4 km/h, 20.1 mph)
Range
14,000 nmi (25,928 km)
Complement
5
Main gun
100 mm (3.9 in)

Le Centaure was a Redoutable-class submarine built for the Marine Nationale. She was named for Centaur. Arsenal de Brest, Brest, France laid her keel on 1 August 1929. Launched on 14 October 1932, she entered service on 1 January 1935.

29 ships of the class were built.

The boat displaced 1,547 long tons surfaced and 2,059 long tons submerged. She measured 92.3 m (303 ft) long with a beam of 8.1 m (27 ft). Her designed speed was 17.5 knots, and she carried a complement of 5.

Her main battery was one 100 mm (3.9 in) guns.

She was in commission for 2,193 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 19 June 1952.

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, 6000 hp
  • 2 × electric motors, 2250 hp
Armament
  • 11 torpedo tubes
  • 1 × 100 mm gun
  • 1 × 13.2 mm machine gun

Sister ships

4 more in the class

Sources