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''Surcouf'' was a French submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched on 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. ''Surcouf'' – named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf – was the largest submarine ever built until surpassed by the first Japanese in 1943. Her short wartime career was marked with controversy and conspiracy theories. She was classified as an "undersea cruiser" by sources of her time. ==Design== The Washington Naval Treaty had placed strict limits on naval construction by the major naval powers, but submarines had been omitted. The French Navy attempted to take advantage of this by building three "corsair submarines", of which ''Surcouf'' was the only one to have been completed. ''Surcouf'' was designed as an "underwater cruiser", intended to seek and engage in surface combat. For reconnaissance, she carried a Besson MB.411 observation floatplane in a hangar built abaft of the conning tower; for combat, she was armed with six and four torpedo tubes and twin s in a pressure-tight turret forward of the conning tower. The guns were fed from a magazine holding 60 rounds and controlled by a director with a rangefinder, mounted high enough to view a horizon, and able to fire within three minutes after surfacing.〔 Using her periscopes to direct the fire of her main guns, ''Surcouf'' could increase this range to ; originally an elevating platform was supposed to lift lookouts high, but this design was abandoned quickly due to the effect of roll.〔(Sous-marin croiseur ''Surcouf'': Caractéristiques principales )〕 In theory, the Besson observation plane could be used to direct fire out to the guns' maximum range. Anti-aircraft cannon and machine guns were mounted on the top of the hangar. ''Surcouf'' also carried a motorboat, and contained a cargo compartment with fittings to restrain 40 prisoners. The submarine's fuel tanks were very large; enough fuel for a range and supplies for 90-day patrols could be carried. Although she had her impressive specification, ''Surcouf'' proved to be plagued by mechanical problems: her trim was difficult to adjust during a dive, on the surface she rolled badly in rough seas, and she took over two minutes to dive to a depth of , making her vulnerable to aircraft. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French submarine Surcouf」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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