The Submarine Forces of France (french: Forces Sous-Marines, FSM) are one of the four main components of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. The force oversees all French submarines regardless of role. The headquarter staff is an independent command made up of two prime components:French Ministry of Defence website
/ref> * The ''

Strategic Oceanic Force The Strategic Ocean Force (french: Force océanique stratégique, FOST) has been the synonym of the French Submarine Forces since 1999, which the commandant commands the ensemble related to, along with the squadron of nuclear attack submarine ( ...

'' (french: Force Océanique Stratégique, FOST), comprising several French nuclear ballistic missile submarine based at

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

. These forces are under the command of an Admiral, with the command structure, which commenced in 1972, being known as

ALFOST The Strategic Ocean Force (french: Force océanique stratégique, FOST) has been the synonym of the French Submarine Forces since 1999, which the commandant commands the ensemble related to, along with the squadron of nuclear attack submarine ...

. * The Squadron of Nuclear Attack Submarines (french: Escadrille des Sous-Marins Nucléaires d'Attaque, ESNA), comprising a

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

of several

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called ...

s based at

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. French submarine forces comprise over 4,000 military and civilian personnel of which an estimated two thousand are submariners. The French Général Naval Officer (french: L'Officier général de marine), the Amiral ( Admiral) Commandant of the Strategic Oceanic Force (french: Commandant la Force Océanique Stratégique, ALFOST), commands the submarine forces, under the authority of the

Chief of Staff of the French Navy The Chief of the Naval Staff (French: Chef d’état-major de la Marine, acronym: CEMM) is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces for preparing ...

(french: Chef d'Etat-Major de La Marine).

History of French submarine forces

Origin

The first submarine which avoided human propulsion was of the

French Imperial Navy The French Imperial Navy () was the name given to the French Navy during the period of the Napoleonic Wars, and subsequently during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The first use of the title 'Imperial Navy' was in 1804, following the Coronation ...

(french: Marine Impériale Française), launched in 1863 which was equipped with a compressed-air motor supplied by twenty-three tanks of compressed air pressurised to . In 1888, was the first submarine to be equipped with specific metal batteries. ''Gymnote'' would be followed by in 1899 and then the series in 1901. Their range was . In June 1900, , introduced a double hull, with an internal hull inside the

pressure hull A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...

. During this period, France was the first navy to have a substantial submarine force. These 200-ton submarines had a range exceeding 100 miles on the surface and underwater. The of 1904 offered further improvement by running a diesel motor while surfaced. Seventy-six submarines were completed by 1914.

First World War

At the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in August 1914, the

fielded 72 submarines essentially to defend her coastlines, of which 50 units were at sea. During the conflict orders were placed for a further 90 with almost 70 launched by 1918. Fifty-nine of these boats conducted more than 1,300 sorties, fourteen of those were lost in the conflict (twelve in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

). Among the boats lost were which was

scuttled Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

during a tentative attack on the base of Pula in December 1914, and would be refitted by the Austro-Hungarian Navy and , sunk in a bombardment by flying boats of the Austro-Hungarian Navy at the naval base of

Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative ...

on 15 September 1915, was the first submarine to be sunk in an aerial attack. At the end of the war, France received 46

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s from the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...

in reparations but most were scrapped between 1922 and 1923 following the signature of the

Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...

Interwar period

In 1922, French submarine forces counted 48 boats, all constructed after 1911. On 1 January 1930, France had the most powerful submarine fleet in the world with 110 units totaling 97,875 tons in service, construction or in authorized commission. However, the French naval construction witnessed set-backs in perfecting the submarines production (certain setbacks were witnessed as the level of maintenance for instance) and were classified as various initiatives, categorizing the submarines on a general scale while sharing the same characteristics (same dimensions, displacement, armament and other features). In any case, the French differentiated their submarines by their displacement: 1500 ton type, 1100 ton type and 600 ton. Accordingly, several classes of submarines were constructed for the years 1921–1931, out of which the most prominent were: * , first class submarine (grand patroller). * 1500 tons type, first class submarine (grand patroller). * 600-630 tons type, consisting of several series. * * ,

cruiser submarine A cruiser submarine was a very large submarine designed to remain at sea for extended periods in areas distant from base facilities. Their role was analogous to surface cruisers, cruising distant waters, commerce raiding, and scouting for the bat ...

Second World War

At the declaration of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in September 1939, France had 77 submarines out of which 47 had been launched in the previous ten years and 19 submarines under construction. A submarine depot ship, the ''Jules Verne'', had been in service since April 1932. The French Navy had nine submarines of the 1200 tons type, 29 units of the 1500 tons type ( and had been lost accidentally in 1932 and 1939); 38 vessels of the 600 tons type ( was lost in 1928 and was condemned in 1938) plus six

minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing contro ...

submarines of the and the

, which displaced 3,300 tons, being the largest submarine in the world at that time. At the

Armistice of 22 June 1940 The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June. Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel ...

, 602 type 550mm and 187 type 400mm torpedoes along with 332

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

types were available in a French port and elsewhere in French possessions. Following the defeat during the Battle of France, only three submarines joined the

Free French Naval Forces The Free French Naval Forces (french: Forces Navales Françaises Libres, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier. History In the wake of the Armistice a ...

in 1940, , (sunk by a naval mine on 21 December 1940), and (accidentally sunk or by misunderstanding during the night of the 18 and 19 February 1942). One submarine was sunk during the Norwegian Campaign and subsequently several French submarines under the command of the

Vichy government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

were sunk or damaged by the Allies in various combats taking place in the French colonial empire. During the

Battle of Dakar The Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal). It was hoped that the success of the operation cou ...

in September 1940 two submarines of the Vichy regime were sunk but damaged a battleship. Three submarines including ''Béveziers'', were lost in May 1942 during the

Battle of Madagascar The Battle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was a British campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial ...

. During the

Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon The scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon was orchestrated by Vichy France on 27 November 1942 to prevent Nazi German forces from taking it over. After the Allied invasion of North Africa the Germans invaded the territory administered by Vic ...

five submarines, including managed to exit the base at

. The attack summary of French submarine torpedoes during the Second World War was: * 1939 : no attacks. * January to May 1940 : 4 attacks, 9 torpedoes launched all missed. * June 1940 – 1942 : **

(FNFL): 8 attacks, 13 torpedoes launched, 6 missed targets, 2 ships sunk. ** Vichy : 14 attacks, 37 torpedoes launched, 1 target sunk, 1 target damaged. * 1943 : 11 attacks, 33 torpedoes launched, 3 targets sunk, 1 target damaged. * 1944 : 16 attacks, 36 torpedoes launched, 2 targets sunk. The submarines undertook numerous unconventional operations including dropping agents, forces of the resistance and materials in occupied Europe and the '' Casabianca'' played an important role in the liberation of Corsica by transporting special forces personnel. On 1 January 1945, France had eight submarines of the first class, twenty submarines of the second class of which four were lent by the United Kingdom, one minelaying submarine and one depot ship for submarines. On 8 May 1945, nineteen vessels were in active service of which nine were operational (three lent by the United Kingdom). On 1 January 1946 the personnel were reduced to 700 men.

Post-war

Following the

German surrender The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...

, France received a total of eighty-five former German vessels, which included six combat submarines, four

midget submarines A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

(in service until 1954) as well as an Italian coastal submarine. Only four out of them were placed on permanent active duty, with the French Navy including which was in service until 1967. The reconstruction phase started with research at the end of the conflict including assimilating the advanced techniques and tactics of World War II. Five submarines of the whose construction was interrupted in 1940 were commissioned and served into the 1960s.

Conventional attack submarine

During the years 1970/1980, the diesel submarines were spread in the Submarines Squadron of the Atlantic (ESMAT) and the Submarines Squadron of the Mediterranean (ESMED). In 1995, the remaining ESMA was dissolved with the last submarine leaving port on 11 February 1997. The four and the two last were part of the Submarines Atlantic Group (GESMAT), created in 1995. The latter was in turn decommissioned on 1 July 1999 and the two ultimate ''Agosta''-class vessels, ''La Praya'' and ''L'Ouessant'', integrated the FOSt until their retirement. Since 1970, the French submarine fleet consisted of: * Four placed into service between 1958 and 1960. * Six ''Narval'' class placed into service between 1957 and 1960. * Nine ''Daphné'' class placed into service between 1964 and 1969. * Various other submarine classes. On 1 November 1970, the 1st squadron, numbering 11 units, were designated as Submarines Squadron of the Mediterranean (ESMM, then ESMED) and the 2nd squadron created in 1947 which comprised eight vessels, six of ''Narval'' class and two of the ''Daphné'' class, became the Submarine Squadron of the Atlantic (ESMA, then ESMAT). Four ''Agosta''-class vessels were placed into service in 1977 and 1978 with retirement in 2001.

Nuclear era

On 28 January 1972, the first ballistic missile submarine of the left a submarine base for the first

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

deterrence Deterrence may refer to: * Deterrence theory, a theory of war, especially regarding nuclear weapons * Deterrence (penology), a theory of justice * Deterrence (psychology) Deterrence in relation to criminal offending is the idea or theory that t ...

patrol. With the creation of FOST, the submarine force was subordinated to support it in the role of nuclear deterrence.

French nuclear attack submarines

With the commissioning of French nuclear ballistic missile submarine in the French Navy in 1970, it was decided to construct the of French nuclear

s. Going through several designations, the nuclear-powered submarines was eventually designated the ''Provence'' class ( with the next two vessels being designated as ''Bretagne'' and ''Bourgogne''), before being christened under the

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

. These were one of the most compact nuclear attack submarines in the world with reactor integration. Built since 1976, the first was delivered in 1983. Six entered service in total, the last in 1993. Their nuclear propulsion and speed allows the submarines to be dispatched with total secrecy to the

, Occidental Africa, the Antilles, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

, the Pacific Ocean, and other oceans and seas. Occupied mainly, but not exclusively by operations of

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

at the profit of deterrence, since the creation of the

, the employment scope range of the attack submarines was enlarged since the middle of the years of 1990 with the leveling placement of nuclear attack submarines which can act at the profit of

Carrier battle group A carrier battle group (CVBG) is a naval fleet consisting of an aircraft carrier capital ship and its large number of escorts, together defining the group. The ''CV'' in ''CVBG'' is the United States Navy hull classification code for an ai ...

s and maritime action. The six French nuclear attack submarines of the ''Rubis'' class are being replaced by the Barracuda class beginning in 2020. The ''Rubis'' class were the main class of nuclear attack submarines in service following the retirement of the last conventional propulsion submarines in 2001. The Squadron of Nuclear Attack Submarines (ESNA) is a component of the Strategic Oceanic Force which assimilated the Submarine Forces at the end of the 20th century. * *# (1983–2022) *# (1984–2019) *# (1987– ) *# (1988– ) *# (1992– ) *# (1993– ) * ''Suffren'' class ** (Q284) (2020– )

French nuclear ballistic missile submarines

Six French nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the ''Le Redoutable'' class capable of carrying sixteen ballistic missiles were built: * ''Le Redoutable'' (1971–1991) * ''Le Terrible'' (1973–1996) * ''Le Foudroyant'' (1974–1998) * ''L'Indomptable'' (1976–2003) * ''Le Tonnant'' (1980–1999) * ''L'Inflexible'' (1985–2008) Four French nuclear ballistic missile submarines of a newer generation, the ''Le Triomphant'' class, are in service in 2010 in the

force océanique stratégique The Strategic Ocean Force (french: Force océanique stratégique, FOST) has been the synonym of the French Submarine Forces since 1999, which the commandant commands the ensemble related to, along with the squadron of nuclear attack submarine ...

of the

: * ''Le Triomphant'' (S616) (entered in service since 1997) * ''Le Téméraire'' (S617) (entered into service since 1999) * ''Le Vigilant'' (S618) (entered into service since 2004) * ''Le Terrible'' (S619) (entered into service since 2010). ''Le Terrible'' was presented on 21 March 2008, and entered service at the end of September 2010 to replace ''L'Inflexible'', last of the retrieved ''Le Redoutable''-class ballistic missile submarine in 2008. The armament systems of the ballistic missile submarines include in general: * 16 missiles M45 with

TN 75 The TN 75 is a French-built 150kt thermonuclear warhead used on France's M45 and M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, carried by the last of the ''Redoutable'' class submarines, S616 '' Inflexible'', and by the ''Triomphant'' class sub ...

heads (nuclear deterrence). French nuclear deterrence also includes

M51 M51 or M-51 may refer to: * M-51 (Michigan highway), a state highway in Michigan * M51 highway (Russia) * M51 (Cape Town), a Metropolitan Route in Cape Town, South Africa * M51 Skysweeper, an anti-aircraft gun * M51 MACI mine * M51 SLBM, a Fre ...

missiles. * 4 tubes of 533 mm for

F17 torpedo The DTCN F17 was a wire-guided anti-surface ship torpedo originally produced in 1971. France, Spain, and Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arab ...

es and

Exocet The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Etymology The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...

SM39

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A goo ...

s. The mission of a French nuclear ballistic missile submarine is simple: leave the designated port of attachment, in the most discreet possible way, remain undetectable all along the mission to be able at any moment launch a nuclear strike, under orders of the

president of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

References

Notes

Bibliographies

* ''L'Encyclopédie des Sous-Marins Français'', 1^er Tome, Thierry d'Arbonneau. Éditions SPE Barthélémy, 2009 * ''L'Odyssée Technique et Humaine du Sous-Marin en France - Tome I : Du Plongeur (1863) aux Guêpe (1904)'', Gérard Garier, Marines Éditions * ''L'Odyssée Technique et Humaine du Sous-Marin en France - Tome II : Des Emeraude (1905-1906) au Charles Brun (1908-1933)'', Gérard Garier, Marines Éditions * ''L'Odyssée Technique et Humaine du Sous-Marin en France - Tome III : Des Clorinde (1912-1916) aux Diane (1912-1917)'', Gérard Garier, Marines Éditions * ''L'Odyssée Technique et Humaine du Sous-Marin en France - Tome IV : Des Joessel au Jean Corre, Ex-UB 155'', Gérard Garier, Marines Éditions

External links

- French Navy site {{DEFAULTSORT:Submarine Forces (France) French naval components