Massive French Battle Sub - The Surcouf
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ส.ค. 2024
- After being taken and subsequently returned by the British in 1940 and completing several missions in the Atlantic, the French Surcouf submarine and its seasoned crew were sent to Bermuda in January of 1942. However, the Allied forces soon lost contact with her.
The Surcouf was the largest submarine the Allied forces had at their disposal against the Axis, and she wasn’t just a regular one, but an experimental cruiser model.
This colossus of the sea could carry a floatplane, two 8-inch guns, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and 10 heavy torpedoes that were feared by anything that came in her path.
When Surcouf disappeared, both the Kriegsmarine and the Japanese Navy admitted that they did not sink her, raising suspicions and igniting several theories as to what may have happened to the most potent Allied submarine in the world…
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Surcouf is my favorite submarine ever. 203mms on a submarine with a plane for spotting and a decent AA setup??? Hell yes
Cruising Submarine
@@hantm6269 and the context for that is what exactly?
There was also a book on this story. I think it was Alistair McLean who wrote it. The submarine was call Soufrire. But the book had a happy ending.
@@HEATSEEKR It was labeled "sousmarine de croisiere" which means Cruising Submarine in French aka sub with big gun
@@ItsRawdraft2 Thx
It's so easy to enjoy history when it's presented this well...
This is a good series of channels despite all the errors.
@@deejayimmthe errors vary, to the point where some videos seem to be more propaganda than education ..but always presented as factual.
Generally great production quality
@@norml.hugh-mann most history is propaganda.
The French decided it was friendly fire with no witnesses and no proof... There is a small monument in Charleston (or was 35 years ago when I saw it) to the US submarines lost to unidentified causes. On the top of the monument wee the words the USN used to describe such incidents and sent to the family members of the crew - "Overdue and presumed to be lost"... Accurate, chilling and a reminder of the dangers inherent to being on the sea, especially for the "silent service".
]po
Why the frenchs thinks its a friendly fire ?
Thinks about mers el kébir,and maybe u should have the answer.
And remember than your governement dont tell everything about their secret operation.
And the french have probably better informations than us
Algiers that proof
They are probably correct. When you have a group of navalized B-24’s on anti-sub patrol saying “we just nailed the biggest damn sub ever”, And the actual biggest damn sub ever, goes missing around then, it tends to be a compelling narrative. Especially when you consider that the American anti-sub patrol crewman had no real idea that there was such a friendly sub. But at the same time they had recently begun hunting the giant German Wolfpack support and supply subs. They knew what US, Brit and Canadian subs looked like, and that they weren’t particularly large. So if they saw a huge sub they would assume it to be a German tender sub and nail it. Friendly Fire was a constant risk of submarine service, especially from aircraft.
@@BBYG-ig9ix The French are unlikely to have more relevant information. The only things they might know which we don’t would be the mission and if there was some extra dangerous cargo (the equivalent of a huge heap of bad Lithium accumulators shipped by plane with the wrong papers and bad stowage).
Neither of which gets us to friendly fire.
My guess is that they suffered a catastrophic leak possibly due to the … unique design of having that gun turret in the pressure hull. It’s so much better to say “someone killed our boys by mistake” than “we sent them, knowing that that was a serious concern, and well, we overplayed our hand.”
"Surcouf" wasn't the only submarine with a heavy gun armament. There were the three British M-Class submarines that mounted a 12" gun. Later on after WW1 one of the class was converted to minelaying and another to carry a seaplane. Essentially they, like the Surcouf were a complete blind alley in submarine development.
One fantasy I remember reading in "Boys Own Annual" (my father's !), was a submarine that could fly !!
Not really a blind alley, just a bit ahead of their time - think of them as the forebears of the modern attack submarine. After all, both surface ships and submarines evolved to use missiles instead of guns by the early '50s.
No roses on a sailor's grave
"No crosses mark the ocean waves; No monuments of stone. No roses grow on sailor's graves, The Sailor rests alone. His tributes are the sea gulls' sweeps, Forever wild and free . . . And teardrops that his sweetheart weeps; to mingle with the sea." Anonymous
Beautiful , thank you for this. Never seen this before. Peace be unt you.
Oh my 😢
As a sailor I had heard parts of this, but, didn't know there was more. Thank you.
Now that's a wreck we need to find. What an invention.
I wish that naval history had gone more in this direction, both military and civilian. Imagine an underwater ocean liner. It'd be real neat.
But maybe I'm just dreaming.
You'd think Bob Ballard would add another feather to his cap to find something as unique as that boat. :o
Dirk Pitt already found it, and put it in his private collection.
You all should do a video on how nations at war still notified the other side of sinking of their ships.
I do enjoy certain respects, intricacies, and customs of war like this
Are they actually notifying each other while at war or just comparing records and counting the score after the war is over?
@@xTHATGUY339x I remember the British capturing a sub and kept it secret so the Germans didnt know about the enigma machine that they also got. So there had to be a way somehow. Maybe the red cross.
@@timbrwolf1121 in Battlefield we just hate message each other on Xbox
It was actually foolish to put 8 inch guns on a submarine. Big guns are not useful if they can't hit anything. Fire control for them was minimal, meaning at anything except short range they'd miss the target. A smaller, 4 or 5 inch gun is more than adequate for killing freighters. Taking on even a small warship in a gun duel is generally a losing proposition for a submarine. Surface ships can take more damage and have more buoyancy than submarines. One shot through the pressure huill means a dive for the sub is fatal. A submarine trapped on the surface, in enemy patrolled or controlled waters, is a sitting duck.
@crash burn, uh, no. You still have to hit what you're shooting at.
@crash burn Not much of a bombard with only 2 guns.
The Surcouf seems rather more suited to the role of commerce raider, sinking unescorted commercial shipping.
If you think of it more for special operations the guns sort of make sense, especially if you consider the spotting aircraft carried by the sub to spot the landing shells or the landing crew who could have done the same, the modern equivalent would be carrying sub launched cruise missiles
Torpedoes are just way more practical.
5:19 So, what's the conversion ratio between metric ton and horse power to mesure displacement?
Depends on how fat the horses are.
European horses or African horses?
Displaced over 3400 horsepower when fully submerged. Lol think he meant tons. But ig it did have 3400hp
@@sternwheeler Depends if they're buff horses or not😁
@@flexinclouds He actually said 34000 hp, which wouldn't have been her tonnage anyway.
Actually the 1st vessel to deployed as a submarine was the USS Turtle which was used by Continental forces against the British Navy in the Revolutionary War. So called because it's hull was shaped like 2 turtle shells. It failed in its attack on on a British man-o-war.
It was in my history book and I honestly never knew about the Alligator
Alexander the great used submersibles in the siege of Tyre. Willian Bourne produced a design for the British Admiralty in 1578, a variation of which was then taken up and put into service by King James the 6th in 1620 .
that was great info, thank you.
Did 17 yrs in Boomer service but never knew about the boat in this video..Thanks for posting!
Great find, never knew of the French submarine.
The first submarine was not built during the U.S. Civil War. David Bushnell built a submarine in Connecticut in 1775. He called it the “Turtle.” I’ve heard even this may not have been the first submarine.
yeah, I saw a picture in a book of that thing, more like a bloated barrel with a cork screw propeller, totally non practical and nothing at all like a proper sub, but yeah, I doubt even that was the first attempt...
The “David’s “ were not fully submersible. The CSS H.L Hunley however, was, and was the first Submarine to sink an enemy ship when it sank the USS. Housatonic on February 17th 1864. The action however resulted in the loss of the Hunley in still controversial circumstances just after the successful attack. Hunley was Re-discovered in 1995, raised in August of 2000, and I participated in the last and largest Confederate Funeral in April of 2004, when the final crew was laid to rest in the old Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston South Carolina. It was the highlight of my activity as a Confederate Re-Enactor and is a cherished memory.
I heard that there was a full size replica of it at the USS Alabama and the USS Drum park. Have you heard anything about this?
The H. L. Hunley was never commissioned into the Confederate Navy and thus did not carry the designation CSS. Her location is the Warren Lasch Center in Charleston, South Carolina. The replica, which was created before the H. L. Hunley was found and raised, is quite inaccurate.
@@barryrogoff6764Yes. I am Aware of the models inaccuracy And thelocation of the real thing. I referred to. It as “CSS” as an honorific off handedly.
I recall a Disney TV film about the Hunley when I was a kid - It would sink and then be recovered and every time, the crew cranking the propeller shaft were the same guys. I was a child at the time, over 55 years ago but I remember thinking, "How stupid do they think we are?"
@@lawrencelewis2592 There are many inaccuracies in the movie. The H. L. Hunley sank a total of three times, killing a different crew each time, the last sinking occurring sometime after the successful attack on the Housatonic. The number of sinkings was greatly exaggerated by the press resulting in her being called the "peripatetic coffin." A careful examination of the timeline based on numerous historical records proves that there simply wasn't enough time for her to sink and be raised and a new crew trained more than twice before the final attack.
I remember reading about how she had a very shallow crush depth and it was possible for her to reach t at the bow while the stern was still just below the surface. Not sure how accurate it is but she could have been forced to crash dive and that happened.
Really think so? Surcouf has been sank deliberately..dont forget that the British had no problem with attacking vichy ships Without real reason.
I have not heard of this story before, I'm amazed that someone hasn't located the wreck by now, but the waters in that part of the ocean run very deep if i"m not mistaken
Look up the (CSS) H. L. Hunley. First sub to sink an enemy ship (USS Housatonic, 180 times the tonnage of the Hunley, with a spar torpedo) and was lost at or shortly after the attack, in 1864. She was finally found 1995, over 130 years later, despite the search area being tiny and very shallow.
Where to start looking? And who is gonna pay for that?
Needle in a haystack.
Sad ending
I hope they find the wreck. Bring closure.
Strange, that in this busy area, they haven't found it.
Almost makes you think of Jules Verne,
20,000 leagues under the sea
That submarine also disappeared.
I can’t help with the Surcouf, but I can at least tell you that Captain Nemo and the Nautilus made an appearance in a later Jules Verne book “The Mysterious Island”, so they did survive the maelstrom
Not very busy 3000m down
@@rjk69 lol 😆 😂 🤣
@@dieseldave71 The Mysterious Island was a pretty good movie as I recall.
Civil War submarines were not limited by being only 40 ft long and carrying just 8 men. Although advanced for their time they could have been 100 ft long and carried 100 men, and in fact been even less useful.
The armies of WWI did not possess any submarines at all. For some reason they were ordered by and allocated to the navies.
The stuff about Jutland is utterly wrong. U-Boats had been attacking Grand Fleet units for some time but with very limited success, largely due to their lack of speed underwater. Remember these are not nuclear SSNs; their top speed submerged was around a fast walking pace! This meant they had to be prepositioned to intercept warships, which might be travelling at more than 20kts. Jutland involved no U-Boat engagements whatsoever. Commerce raiding became the U-Boats' forte, as they could surface to attack and have much greater chance of reaching a target solution.
At no stage did the British consider suing for peace due to the U-Boat campaign. Where do you get this alternative history? Indeed, it was U-Boat predations following the German declaration of 'Unlimited Warfare' that gave President Wilson the final cassus belli to bring the US into the war in april 1917, significantly buttressing the Allied cause.
The concept of large 'submersible cruisers' was not a 'premonition'. It was a dead end, as demonstrated by British and French attempts. It was not the London Naval Treaty that limited production of the Surcouf class to one unit; it was found to be tactically useless. For one thing, it took several minutes for the guns to be brought into action, for all of which time the submarine was vulnerable on the surface. Further, due to its narrow beam compared to a similarly armed surface vessel it rolled significantly, making aiming a real problem.
Edit to add athank you for the clip at 6:20, it isn't Surcouf but it does show one of the similar British efforts, the M2. M2 was lost while practicing a seaplane launch, diving before the hangar was fully sealed, and is now a popular wreck site off the South coast of England. There was so much that could go wrong with these big subs compared to their potential military effectiveness.
The First Sea Lord was Adm 'Bee-tee'.
The French were well aware that the German U-Boat strength was far from 'small'. Total WWI production was 350 boats, of which 180 were in service at the Armistice. I reckon that's a lot!
Using submarines as escort vessels for the fleet was never really a thing as they had to be surfaced to, barely, keep up; submerged a rearguard action was the most you might expect. So, that's a no, unless it's slow coastal traffic, as Surcouf was indeed employed with off the Canadian coast.
Submarines do not 'displace horsepower'. I think you mean that when submerged her electric motors could produce 3400hp.
Surcouf's 'military career' began when she was commissioned in 1934. Her involvement in live ops began in 1940.
'The British launched Op Catapult without French consent'. A real LOL moment! Well it's not really surprising they didn't consent given that Op was required only because after their surrender the Vichy French refused to transfer their fleet to Allied/Free French control to avoid its takeover by the Nazis.
Although tragic, the firefight on Surcouf when boarded involved a single French officer using his revolver. Other boardings of French ships in UK ports went off without any loss of life.
The theories on the sinking are not well covered. First, a look at a map shows that she was lost just East of Panama, well away from the Bermuda Triangle, if you're into that sort of thing. Second, German records revealed after WWII show there were no U-Boats in the area at all, let alone a wolf pack. So despite what you say the historical opinion is that she was indeed lost to friendly fire, most likely either by the PBY you don't mention or the B-24s.
Going back to your opening statements, it's not surprising that the Japanese didn't have any record of engaging her as she hadn't even got into the Pacific!
Even more misunderstanding, disinformation and outright untruths in this one than usual, but I guess the monetisation keeps the cash flowing. But it would be a major step forward for this military history channel if a script writer could be found who knew about a) the military, b) history, c) use of the English language.
For a more accurate and complete assessment of Surcouf try here: th-cam.com/video/Ki6929WP-Sg/w-d-xo.html
Mr. Tim Gosling:
What’s with the disdain towards the channel’s work? I don’t believe you would make a good contemporary politician who has the tact for media and public discourse. Well, then again, I could be wrong. Maybe you’re one of those tenured professors who finds fault in a freshman who forgot to cross the “t”.
“But it would be a major step forward for this military history channel if a script writer could be found who knew about a) the military, b) history, c) use of the English language.”
a) In one sense throughout history men have been indoctrinated, trained and studied the art of war while dressing in their uniform. Many have been put in charge of military operations without any combat experience if this is your criteria of “the military”. Then, if one is to say “the military” then one should be more specific: the Army, the Air Force, the Marines, the Navy, or special Forces. Each with specific strategies and tactics utilizing trained manpower, deployments, logistics, and weapon systems. If there was someone else (besides you) who could muster any explanation about any branch of the service, just for your ears would you be impressed?
b) As the adage says: military history is WRITTEN by the victors. And most victors write whatever they please which in all likelihood continues a slant ending with a prevalence of nonsense. For example, in the past, Egypt was seized by the Macedonian (Alexander). Every custom, architecture, language, dress, and art were Greek. Which displays the adage about Hollywood films and how embellishment and hyperbole generate prevalence of nonsense. All those films depicted Egyptians portraying Greeks?
Or, Britain’s publicity machine was at war against American isolationism and opinion during WWII. There were many anti-war government factions and large organizations against entering the war. Winston Churchill was part of the masterminds behind manipulating and shaping public opinion against Germany. He unleashed his agents especially in New York and Hollywood to stamp out then mold public consciousness towards entering the war. For example, Japanese intentions were clear. The attack on Pearl Harbor was certainly known. This event fueled and provided a massive tool. Also, broadcasting the experiences of the blitz to American audiences was pure genius to soften public opinion. In today’s terms, massive ratings!
Everyone seems to ignore or dismiss the occasions of killed by “friendly fire.”
c) My understanding is that the English language had no alphabet until the French (Norman conquest) established a lexicon. The English language is filled with words from French origin. Then again, derived from Roman occupiers. Mixed with Norse adventurers, Celtic, or Welsh dialects. Enough, I’m still learning about the English language.
You don't a damn thing about the ENGLISH language obviously!!!
Apart from the sarcastic comment (hopefully) about the lack of submarines built for various armies but built for their navies I totally agre with your comments on this despite their rather lengthy explanation - mind you a veterans view does help in this
@@robertsettle2590 You do a damn thing about the eNgLiSh language, yourself!!!
@@frankaguilera2071 Welll i think its really more of a continual pattern of misinformation and inaccuracies in these videos that gets to be annoying and a real lack of effort in researching topics beyond the first few clicks on a google search or the Wikipedia page. As a channel that highlights unique or interesting things in history why not have the correct information out there for the record, I mean if they are already researching it the level of effort it would take to be more accurate should not be that much more difficult especially with the internet as it is now. Granted it takes a bit of knowledge into doing proper information gathering and research but once you have it down it gets easier the moreyou do it. Now i don't think that its at all easy to make a video like this I'm not knocking that at all I just hate that its a more common trait in our world of social media and curated content, that seemingly the more popular and "flashy" a piece of content its the more likely that if its portraying some historical information, that its probably inaccurate or even just plane wrong. I just find it as a worrying trend as a whole and this channel is not at all the worst offender but as a purveyor of interesting historical morsels i would it hope would behoove someone to do it as best and as accurate as they can since id bet over all the channels they're easily making upwards of 100k per year making said content. I still enjoy the videos but i hope that they can get better and elucidating the information presented, because oftentimes there's even more interesting details and insights to be learned a couple layers down into the historical onion!
I agree with the last person who commented.............. Quite pleasurable when couched in such a manner
Well frankly if a flight of six planes report having sunk the Surcouf (for whatever reason - this incident was rather hurried over in the video) and the French Navy have it officially documented as having been sunk by "Friendly Fire" I don't see that there's much of a mystery about it's disappearance. The fact that some people don't accept the official version is not in the least compelling in the total absence of any credible reason for doubting it. It was an interesting summary of the life and times of the Surcouf otherwise.
Exactly, there usage of the word "large" is implying that the submarine they attacked is significantly larger than a regular submarine and they wouldn't have said that if the attacked a regular sized submarine.
@@matthewgray9752 especially since all the large Nazi Subs were accounted for at the end of the war (their cargo subs).
People underestimate just how much "Friendly fire" occurs during warfare,the most obvious is also the most likely.
That is a mean looking sub. It would make some destroyers think twice
Nothing but a fat trophy kill. Never had a chance of hitting anything with that oversized gun.
@@jonsmitt9769 Not necessarily. If SURCOUF sighted a destroyer, say, and got off a few accurate salvos first. . . .
I’d never heard of this sub before this doc! Thank you
My wife doesn't watch this with me, but of all the things i watch she calls this "the one where the guy talks fast" lol. I love it
Awesome video. I wish history class was this interesting!
05:21 She displaced over 3400 Horsepower?? Um you need to check your scripts.. She displaced over 4200 tons and her engines produced 3400 HP submerged.
Thank you for making this video and sharing it. I've always kind of been curious about this submarine. It would be nice someday to have the money and the material to actually attempt to locate this vessel.
WOW! The stuff they don't teach you in History, so glad to have DarkDocs!
It's in history books and history websites.
Giving an entirely unique submarine to a completely new crew unfamiliar with its operations is incredibly stupid.
Who said they were unfamiliar? They successfully sailed it for 2 years before it disappeared.
@@HavocHerseim But this wasn't a brand new SUB, it was one plagued with problems and they switched crews for no good reason with zero hand over. Like the video said.
@@rjk69 did not "disapear" but was at 90% conviction that it was sunk from a US anti submarine aircraft who bomb it (tragic error)= 130 french sailors + 3 british sailors killed...A time was a theory from a night boarding from a US ship, but this ship's description was a SMALL submarine so probably german...
@crash burn totaly stupid: the Surcouf, like all other french units who was refugiee in GB in 1940, was captured from the brits during the operation catapult, who was the most shamefull operation ever made under Churchill's command (1295 french sailors executed from the brits on the french ships at anchor in Mers El Kebir)
@@leneanderthalien So if it hasn't disappeared, where is the wreck?
Wherever Surcouf lies at the bottom of the ocean, I pray her crew are at peace, knowing their side won the war in the end.
My great grandfather was in the Surcouf.
I think it's safe to say that this vessel was sunk by American planes because they literally stated that they sunk a large submarine. Their usage of the word "large" is implying that the submarine they encountered was significantly larger than a regular submarine so they wouldn't have said that if the sub they attacked was a regular sub.
I've seen a few reports on TH-cam about Surcouf. Yours had the most video (movies?) I've seen so far. Very impressive.
Every time I see the top structure section I just think... "Looks like Thomas the Train got drafted into the Navy."
I love this sub. It’s just so bonkers.
A video about the Surcouf interesting.
It's by Dark seas!? Yes!
Great videos.
This maybe the best military history channel on TH-cam! Great work, thanks!
Check out Mark Feltons 2 channels
@@alanaldpal950 Already subscribed !
Surcouf was seen last time in Datuk Besar.
only 10 heavy torpedoes in a WW2 era large submarine is unheard of . . .
2022 and it's still missing... Good Lord
if i was french and in that situation ordered to escape the war by travelling to Australia, I'd put in at New Caledonia scuttle the ship and desert in order to live out my life in a tropical paradise
Never heard of this. Interesting.
It looks like something a james bond villain would use
As ever a interesting mix of garbled information and variable research but nicely sourced imagery all the same.
That's amazing ! Brilliant technology. I hope someone someday will find it
Réposez en paix, les matelots français. 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷
SO where was she lost at??
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Just off the coast of Panama, approaching the Canal. Unfortunately the position is only roughly estimated and she likely rests in 10,000ft of water.
I hope this sub comes up in World of Warships
This thing was so badass
- So Admiral, You want a cruiser, submarine or carrier?
- Yes
Heard from a old Navy Vet he was on a Sub Tender that caught The Surcouf resupplying U Boats at sea with food and fuel provided to the French by The Tender, he said they rammed and sank the Surcouf. I am sure he is gone now, got no way to confirm the story. But I heard it first hand.
I like the Surcouf, but she wasn't a "colossus". She didn't even have half the displacement of some of the IJN submarines. But most allied subs where quite small compared to Surcouf :D
In the west you don't hear a lot about the Japanese submarines, even tho they had the most modern/advanced and diverse types.
I think the Japanese had more accurate torpedoes than the Americans but I wouldn't bet a lot on that.
@@dannydaw59 I don't know about more accurate, but the Japanese long lance did have an incredible range and had greatly reduced bubble trails compared to its American counterpart.
@@dannydaw59
The American torpedos had the problem that their detonators didn’t work very well, thus even if they hit the ship or passed under it they very often didn’t explode.
@@HingerlAlois
When the Akagi at Midway was abandoned and it’s crew floating around the unsinking hulk the USN Sub Nautilus fired a torpedo at her , the men in the water could see the torpedo coming screamed and tried to get away , the torpedo hit the ship and did not detonate but broke in half and floated the men in the water started screaming and cursing at it and beating on it finally after a bit several men latched on to the still floating part as a life raft . This is told in the book The Shattered Shield.
Don't forget when she was running subs where in their infancy
Long live Anglo-French friendship!
She displaced over 3,400 hp when submerged?
I was rather confused too. Then goes on to state the engines developing 3400hp. Proof reading the script is obviously not a strong point.
Great video,
There's something about the. Navy that I just love.
Thanks
yes !!!! been waiting 2 years for this !!!!
and first !!!!!
fun fact, France still has a reward for her discovery.
Seriously? That's cool!
@@imadequate3376 yeah its fuelled by the mystery of how to this day its still not found when most of the high profile ships lost in the last 100 years have almost all been found or locations known.
Never knew about this Boat. Thanks.
This today sould be what a naval military ship should be
Underwater cannon?
BRILLIANT!
Can a get sharks with freakin' lazer beams in their heads?
Never label a war ending in 1, it encourages a sequel!!!!
It was called Great War. Until second Great War began.
@@kristijangrgic9841 I know. I was making the obligatory joke about it. Napoleans Wars had just as many nations involved and was the TRUE WW1.
Do a video about the Dutch ship that disguised itself as trees to escape japanese navy in ww2
5:20 how does a submarine displace over 3400 horsepower?
i thought that as well,,story teller knows nothing about submarines,
Wow Great Story i never Heard about this Sub very interesting. Thanks for Slowing Down your Delivery on your Voice Over's, as we age our hearing is not as Acute and I found it hard to follow some of your First Stories.
This is the coolest thing ever!!! Why does this not come up when the Japanese Carrier Sub is discussed?
Surely the problem with such a vessel is that even relatively minor damage sustained while duking it out with those guns on the surface could render her unable to dive, and thence leave her a sitting duck
this was great, thank you
Poor description of the options given to the French fleet in operation Catapult….. join British, sail to port in Caribbean sail to neutral port (eg US east coast). The actions of the French admirals in failing to respond to any of these options and the British actions have been subject to numerous debates. To omit the options in discussing these events is a gross distortion of historical events!
I'm highly surprised that he did not mention that she had at one time been equipped with a gyrocopter for scouting and spotting purposes....
Like smething out of a bond film...
Interesting story, great channel, but pls no additional dust effects, the footage is grainy enough..
The report from the B-24 is very incriminating. American pilots were notorious for attacking friendly submarines and the detail about "a giant submarine" is pretty strong evidence.
Think you meant 3400 tons displaced when submerged. Love these documentaries though!
He means she made 3400hp from her electric motors when submerged.
@@timgosling6189 so I looked online the specs and you're correct he did mean she made 3400 hp submerged. I figured it might have been a typo at first since he said displaced. Thanks for the correction.
They failed to mention the CSS Hunley which was built in Mobile, AL and was the first submarine to ever sink an enemy ship.
For the time that seems pretty amazing and wonder why other countries didn’t make similar ones
Excellent
CSS David was not a submarine, but CSS Hunley was.
The Surcouf was most likely sunk by a U Boat wolf pack, not friendly fire. Great documentary.
Incredible! Ive never even heard of it until now!
Japan: *we have Submarine carrier*
Also japan: *we also have human torpedos*
Wow & wow. Can't believe I never heard of this monster of the seas.
RIP Surcouf, :(, whatever the reason why you vanished I salute you.
Noticed you used Das Boot footage with a filter over it. Nice.
This channel never disappoints.
🇬🇧
Cringe
My dad was convinced that his HMCS corvette group chased it down and sank it near PEI. He worked the sonar room and said the ping was the largest he had ever seen. When they arrived in Halifax they were told it was just an exercise. Its believed the Surcouf went Vichy and was hiding out at St.Pierre Michelon.
As at Mers el Kebir the British navy offered peace and removal of French naval vessels to the Caribbean and full warning of their actions if the Vichy forces remained available to nazi Germany. so what would you do Mr Dark Seas in any real world war, against nazis, type scenario?
Great report, love your channels.
I don't know what happened that ship but Id love to find out
Displaced 3400 Horsepower when fully submerged, I Think you need to take more of that Hormone>
The first submarine was David Bushnell's Turtle, the US Civil War learned the lessons from the Turtle creating more advanced submarines, that said the Sarcouf wasn't the only cruiser submarine, there were three
Dam still undiscovered...maybe they rest well wherever the wreck my lay
I love your channel
That would be worth looking for.
The US shipyard in Maine is called Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Physically in Maine, but controlled by Portsmouth.
And the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is actually in Portsmouth, VA!
John Paul Jones was the Commandant of PNSY at one time. The fort guarding the harbor is Fort Constitution (nee William & Mary) where the actual first shots of the Revolution we fired in December of 1775.
NH militia forced the Royal Guvnah to vacate his home and relieved (robbed) the fort of its powder. The powder was shipped to a farm in a small town outside of Boston called Concord. You may have read about what happened there in the spring of 1776.
This theory said the french submarine disappeared on the night on 18/19 february 1942, about 130 kilometers which is 70 nautical miles north of Cristóbal, Panama, when en-route via the panama canal, american report concluded the disappearance was due to an accidental collision with a US Freighter called, Thompson Lykes.
No one still dived or verified the wreck of the surcouf, If she sank following the collision with the thompson lykes, then the wreck would lie 3,000 Meters/9,800 Ft, at the coordinates of 10°40'N 79°32'W.
stop running Forest you're exhausting me!.
You failed to mention the “only” submarine that actually sank a warship during the civil war, the H. L. Hunley sank the U.S. blockade ship Housitanic off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina February 17, 1864. The Hunley disappeared after the attack on the Housitanic and was rediscovered @138 years later and now is being studied and displayed in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Great video. I had never known about this sub. I think it’s likely that the American bombers sank her, as they reported bombing a very large submarine. We should take them at their word about it.
And considering the Americans have a history of "friendly fire" incidents..????
@@aussiviking604 you just hate Americans don't cha mate!!!!
@@robertsettle2590 No, I have no beef with the Yanks. Nevertheless the US military does have a long history of friendly fire incidents, involving airpower..
@@aussiviking604 Not half, I don't need to tell the old WW2 adage that was oft quoted.
@@aussiviking604 friendly fire incidents right back to ww1. The estimate is that ten thousand troops died in Vietnam as a result of blue on blue . Some sad incidents in first gulf war .
I dunno about that first part of the video...the germans used U-Boots very early on to attack British Naval Vessels. Just look at the lists of Royal navy losses from WW1 and you'll see that a large chunk were sunk by U-Boots. For example on Sept. 22 just a 53 days or so into the War the U-9 sunk 3 Royal Navy armoured cruisers one after the other with a huge loss of life and again on Oct 15 she sank a light cruiser and she wasn't alone in attacking naval ships. Several Battleships were sunk during the war by U-boots. So no this first part of the video is bunk....
All this guys videos are not accurate. Wish he would put as much effort into his research as he does trying to sound serious
Seriously. This guy is just fine with misinforming people. Hes got a bunch of channels. Hes not a military enthusiast, hes an ad revenue enthusiast.