French submarine Surcouf

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Surcouf c. 1935
History
France
Name	Surcouf
Namesake	Robert Surcouf
Ordered	4 August 1926
Builder	Cherbourg Arsenal
Laid down	1 July 1927
Launched	18 November 1929
Commissioned	16 April 1934
In service	1934–1942
Refit	1941
Identification	Pennant number: N N 3 Designation number: 17P[1]
Honors and awards	Resistance Medal with rosette
Fate	Disappeared, 18 February 1942
General characteristics
Type	Cruiser submarine
Displacement	3,250 long tons (3,302 t) (surfaced) 4,304 long tons (4,373 t) (submerged) 2,880 long tons (2,926 t) (dead)
Length	110 m (361 ft)
Beam	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draft	7.25 m (23 ft 9 in)
Installed power	7,600 hp (5,700 kW) (surfaced) 3,400 hp (2,500 kW) (submerged)
Propulsion	2 × Sulzer diesel engines (surfaced) 2 × Electric motors (submerged) 2 × Propellers
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (surfaced) 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (submerged)
Range	Surfaced: 18,500 km (10,000 nmi; 11,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) 12,600 km (6,800 nmi; 7,800 mi) at 13.5 kn (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) Submerged: 130 km (70 nmi; 81 mi) at 4.5 kn (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) 110 km (59 nmi; 68 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Endurance	90 days
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × motorboats in watertight deck well
Capacity	280 long tons (284 t)
Complement	8 officers and 110 men
Armament	2 × 203 mm (8 in) guns (1 × 2) 2 × 37 mm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns (2 × 1) 4 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) anti-aircraft machine guns (2 × 2) 6 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes 4 × 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried	1 × Besson MB.411 floatplane
Aviation facilities	Hangar

Surcouf [syʁ.kuf] was a large French gun-armed cruiser submarine of the mid 20th century. She carried two 203 mm guns as well as anti-aircraft guns and (for most of her career) a floatplane. Surcouf served in the French Navy and, later, the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War.

Surcouf disappeared during the night of 18/19 February 1942 in the Caribbean Sea, possibly after colliding with the US freighter Thompson Lykes, although this has not been definitely established. She was named after the French privateer and shipowner Robert Surcouf. She was the largest submarine built until surpassed by the first Japanese I-400 class aircraft carrier submarine in 1944.