French submarine Perle (1935)

Sister ship Diamant, date unknown
History
France
NamePerle
NamesakePearl
BuilderArsenal de Toulon, ToulonFrance
Laid down1931
Launched30 July 1935
Commissioned1 March 1937
FateSunk 8 July 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeSaphir-class submarine
Displacement
  • 761 long tons (773 t) (surfaced)
  • 925 long tons (940 t) (submerged)
Length66 m (216 ft 6 in)
Beam7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
Draught4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (surfaced)
  • 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) (submerged)
Range
  • 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)
  • 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
  • 80 nautical miles (148 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) (submerged)
Test depth80 m (262 ft)
Complement42
Armament

Perle was a Saphir-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1930s. Laid down in 1931, she was launched in July 1935 and commissioned in March 1937. In November 1942, after Operation Torch, Perle joined the Allied fleet. While returning from refitting in the United States, Perle was mistaken for a U-boat by an aircraft from the British Merchant Aircraft Carrier Empire MacCallum and sunk.