French submarine Phoque (1926)

Phoque was a Requin-class submarine built for the French Navy in the mid-1920s. Laid down in May 1924, it was launched in March 1926 and commissioned in May 1928. In April 1941, it was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia and captured there by the Italians on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 111. It was sunk on 28 February 1943 10 miles off Murro di Porco, Sicily by Allied aircraft.

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.

Construction and career
Phoque was laid down at the Brest Arsenal on 21 May 1924, launched on 16 March 1926 and commissioned on 7 May 1928. In April 1941, it was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia and captured there by the Italians on 8 December 1942 and renamed FR 111. It was sunk on 28 February 1943 10 miles off Murro di Porco, Sicily by Allied aircraft.