French submarine Dauphin (1925)

The French submarine Dauphin was a Reqin (French for shark)-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in December 1922, it was launched in April 1925 and commissioned in November 1927. It was captured by Italian forces on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 115. It was later recaptured by the Germans on 9 September 1943, then scuttled on 15 September 1943. The name Dauphin comes from the French word for Dolphin.

Design
78 m long, with a beam of 6.8 m and a draught of 5.1 m, Requin-class submarines could dive up to 80 m. The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 1150 LT and a submerged displacement of 1441 LT. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 2900 hp diesel motors and two 1800 hp electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 9 kn while submerged and 15 kn on the surface. Their surfaced range was 7700 nmi at 9 kn, and 4000 nmi at 12 kn, with a submerged range of 70 nmi at 5 kn.

Career
Dauphin served in the Mediterranean and, after the Armistice of 22 June 1940, was under the control of the Vichy government. In December 1942, she was taken over by the Germans in Bizerte and transferred to Italy. In the Regia Marina, Dauphin received the designation FR 115. After Italy had concluded a ceasefire with the Allies, the ship was taken over by the Germans in Pozzuoli in September 1943 and then scuttled.