Henri Poincaré was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1931. 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 she was scuttled at Toulon in November 1942. The Italians refloated Henri Poincaré in June 1943 and renamed her FR 118, then scuttled her in September 1943. The Germans later scrapped her wreck.
Contents
Characteristics
Henri Poincaré was part of a fairly homogeneous series of 31 deep-sea patrol submarines also called "1,500-tonners" because of their displacement. All entered service between 1931 and 1939.
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). They could dive to a depth of 80 metres (262 ft). They displaced 1,572 tonnes (1,547 long tons) on the surface and 2,082 tonnes (2,049 long tons) underwater. 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). 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). 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). Underwater, they could travel 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).
Construction and commissioning
Authorized in the 1925 naval program, Henri Poincaré was laid down at Arsenal de Lorient in Lorient, France, on 1 March 1927 with the hull number Q140. She was launched on 10 April 1929 at the same time as her sister ship Poncelet. Henri Poincaré was commissioned on 23 December 1931.
Service history
World War II
At the start of World War II in September 1939, Henri Poincaré was assigned to the 4th Submarine Division in the 1st Squadron, home-ported at Brest, France. Her sister ships Argo, Le Centaure, and Pascal made up the rest of the division.
The French assigned the responsibility for the defense of the coast of French Morocco to the 4th Submarine Division, and Henri Poincaré and the division's other submarines began patrols 60 to 70 nautical miles (110 to 130 km; 69 to 81 mi) off French Morocco on 3 September 1939, the day France entered World War II on the side of the Allies. The patrols were cancelled on 5 September, when German forces were reported back in their bases.
In November and December 1939, Henri Poincaré and Pascal patrolled in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Azores in search of German U-boats and their supply ships. From 21 to 25 November 1939, the two submarines searched for the German cargo ship Rekum, based on an erroneous report that she had put to sea from Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
In April 1940 the French Navy established the new 4th Flotilla at Bizerte in Tunisia and assigned Henri Poincaré, Argo, Le Centaure, and Pascal to it along with their sister ships Fresnel, Le Conquérant, Le Glorieux, L'Espoir, Le Héros, Le Tonnant, Monge, Pégase, and Vengeur. By May 1940, Henri Poincaré was operating from Bizerte.
German ground forces advanced into France on 10 May 1940, beginning the Battle of France, and Italy declared war on France on 10 June 1940 and joined the invasion. On 16 June 1940, Henri Poincaré and Le Centaure began a patrol southeast of the Strait of Messina, and at dawn on 22 June 1940 Henri Poincaré tried unsuccessfully to approach three Italian cruisers entering the naval base at Augusta, Sicily. The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and armistices with Germany on 22 June 1940 and with Italy on 24 June, both of which went into effect on 25 June 1940. Henri Poincaré returned to Bizerte at 06:40 on 25 June, having had no success during her patrol.
Henri Poincaré subsequently served in the naval forces of Vichy France. After France's capitulation, she initially remained assigned to the 4th Submarine Division at Bizerte. By 1 August 1940, she had been reassigned along with Pascal to the 5th Submarine Division at Bizerte.