 |
||||||
|
HOME
|
US Navy -
ships
|
US Navy - air
units
|
USMC - air
units
|
International
Navies
|
Weapon Systems
|
Special Reports |
||||||
|
French Navy - Marine Nationale Narval class Attack Submarine - SSK (sous-marin d'attaque) |
||||||
 |
||||||
| 06/22 | ||||||
| Units: | ||||||
|
S 631 FS Narval (1957) S 632 FS Marsouin (1957) S 633 FS Dauphin (1958) S 634 FS Requin (1958) S 637 FS Espadon (1960) S 638 FS Morse (1960) |
||||||
| Specifications: | ||||||
|
Displacement: 1635 tons (surfaced) / 1910 tons (submerged) Length: 78.4 meters (257 feet 3 inches) Beam: 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in) Draught: 5.2 m (17 ft 1 in) Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h) submerged / 16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced Test depth: 400 meters (1300 ft) Range: 15000 NMI (28000 km) at 8 knots (surfaced) Complement: 63 Propulsion: 2 x 7-cylinder Diesel Generators (3300 kW / 4400 hp) - re-engined in 1965-68 2 x electric motors (3700 kW / 5000 hp) 2 shaft / 2 propellers Armament: 8 x 550mm torpedo tubes (6 bow / 2 stern) for 14 heavy torpedoes (8 + 6 reload for bow tubes) Systems: - |
||||||
|
The Narval class (sous-marins d'escadre,
"fleet submarines") were patrol submarines built for the French Navy
in the 1950s. The Narval type was an offspring of the E-48 project, inspired by the German Type XXI U-boats of the Second World War, particularly Roland Morillot which were brought into French service. Compared to the Type XXI, the Narval class introduced an entirely new schnorchel system and novel detection systems, gained 33% in operational range on electric power (400 nautical miles (740 km; 460 mi), compared to the 290 nmi (540 km; 330 mi) available to the type XXI), and doubled the test depth. The propellers were also particularly studied to minimise noise. The hulls of the Narvals were assembled from seven 10-metre (33 ft) sections welded together. The engine were two-stroke diesels made by the French constructor Schneider, which proved unreliable and noisy to the point where the engine section became difficult to man at full power. From 1966 to 1970, the Narvals underwent extensive modernisation, where their engines were replaced by a diesel-electrical design based on the SEMT-Pielstick 12PA4-185. The two stern torpedo tubes were deleted, electronics were replaced, and the conning tower was replaced by a more modern sail plan from the Daphné class. The Narvals were used to explore limits of submarines performances in several ways. In 1958, Dauphin and Requin broke the 30-day world record of the longest underwater cruise held jointly by the nuclear-powered USS Skate and USS Seawolf, with 32 and 42 days submerged respectively. In 1964, Espadon and Marsouin sailed up to the 70th parallel north to prepare the first French attempts at navigation under sea ice. These tests were carried out the next year by Dauphin and Narval when they spent a week and a half in the 72nd parallel north. During her last years, from 1980, Requin was fitted with the sonar system planned for the M4 refit of the SNLE. Similarly, Dauphin was extensively modified from 1986 to be used as a test bed for equipment and sensors to be installed on the Triomphant-class submarines, then under design. When finally decommissioned in 1992, she was the oldest submarine in service. She was later expended as a target ship off Toulon. source: wikipedia |
||||||
|
||||||
| images | ||||||
 S 631 FS Narval S 632 FS Marsouin  S 638 FS Morse |
||||||
| | seaforces.org | French Navy start page | |