French submarine Poncelet

Poncelet was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1932. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then served in the navy of Vichy France. She was scuttled during the Battle of Gabon in November 1940. Her commanding officer at the time of her loss,Capitaine de corvette (Corvette Captain) Bertrand de Saussine du Pont de Gault, is regarded as a national naval hero in France for sacrificing his life to scuttle her and ensure that she did not fall into enemy hands.

Poncelet
Poncelet′s sister ship Ajax in 1930.
History
France
NamePoncelet
NamesakeJean-Victor Poncelet (1788–1867), French engineer and mathematician
OperatorFrench Navy
BuilderArsenal de Lorient, Lorient, France
Laid down3 March 1927
Launched10 April 1929
Commissioned1 September 1932
HomeportBrest, France
FateScuttled 7 November 1940
General characteristics
Class and typeRedoutable-class submarine
Displacement
  • 1,572 tonnes (1,547 long tons) (surfaced)
  • 2,092 tonnes (2,059 long tons) (submerged)
Length92.3 m (302 ft 10 in)
Beam8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)
Draft4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) (surfaced)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 17.5 kn (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) (surfaced)
  • 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (submerged)
Range
  • 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) (surfaced)
  • 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (surfaced)
  • 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) (surfaced)
  • 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) (submerged)
Test depth80 m (262 ft)
Complement
  • 5 officers (6 in operations)
  • 66 men
Armament
  • 11 torpedo tubes
  • 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) gun
  • 1 × 13.2 mm (0.5 in) machine gun
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