French submarine Casabianca (1935)

''Casabianca'' (Q183) was a ''Redoutable''-class submarine of the French Navy. The class is also known as the "1500-ton class" and were termed in French ''de grande patrouille''. She was named after Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. Launched in 1935, she entered service in 1936. She escaped from Toulon during the scuttling of the fleet there on 27 November 1942, and continued in service with the Allied forces. ''Casabianca'', commanded by ''Capitaine de frégate'' Jean L'Herminier, had a role in the liberation of Corsica, and was an important link between occupied France and the Free French government based in Algiers.

''Casabianca'' was one of only five of the 31 ''Redoutable''-class submarines to survive the Second World War.

Service

It was initially planned to name the submarine ''Casablanca''. Navy Minister François Piétri, who was Corsican, instead pressed for a navy vessel to be named in honour of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, a naval officer from Corsica who had served in the French Revolutionary Wars. The ''Casablanca'' was therefore renamed ''Casabianca'' prior to being launched.

In December 1939 ''Casabianca'' escorted .

''Casabianca'' was in port at Toulon in November 1942 when the Germans enacted ''Case Anton'', the annexation of the area of France previously controlled by the Vichy government. On 27 November 1942 German forces attempted to take over the fleet at Toulon, leading its commanders to order the ships to be scuttled to keep them out of German hands. ''Capitaine de corvette'' Jean L'Herminier, commander of ''Casabianca'', instead took his submarine out to sea and escaped to Algiers to join the Allies. The submarine was attacked by German aircraft during the voyage, and was shadowed by a Royal Navy destroyer. Five other French submarines escaped from Toulon, two of which, ''Le Glorieux'' and '' Marsouin'', served like ''Casabianca'' with the allies.

After arriving in Algiers, ''Casabianca'' passed under the orders of Admiral François Darlan, until his assassination on 24 December 1942. ''Casabianca'' was then under ''Général'' Henri Giraud, until Giraud's replacement by Charles de Gaulle. ''Casabianca''s participation in operations around Corsica was one of the factors that led to Giraud's removal from office. She served mainly on intelligence gathering missions, supplying arms and delivering men to support the Corsican '' Maquisards''. She played an important role in the eventual liberation of the island in September 1943. Her elusiveness earned her the nickname "Ghost Submarine" from the Germans.

The British conservative MP Keith Monin Stainton served as a liaison officer aboard the submarine in 1943, whilst a Royal Navy lieutenant. From 1943 until 1944 Charles William Beattie, a Royal Navy Signals specialist, also served on board ''Casabianca'' to safeguard and interpret secret cyphers sent to the boat whilst out on station. He took part in many of the secret landings on the Corsican coast.

In her last mission, ''Casabianca'' landed 109 special forces men, a record for a submarine of her size. The men were landed on an isolated beach at Arone, near the village of Piana, in the north west of Corsica, where a monument now exists.

After the liberation of Corsica, the ''Casabianca'' was used for regular patrols. In 1944 she was hit in a friendly fire accident by a British plane, and had to refit in Philadelphia until March 1945. In common with other ''Redoutable''-class submarines modernized in the United States, the original conning tower was considerably modified. Two radars were installed, as was a platform on the front to carry a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.

The submarine was scrapped in 1956, but the conning tower survives — it has been on display in Bastia near the harbour since 2004. The two periscopes and the deck gun are visible, however the conning tower was truncated from the rear, where a second 20mm gun was replaced by a 13.2 double machine gun of French origins.

During her career ''Casabianca'' sank one warship with a torpedo and another with her deck gun, sank a merchant vessel, carried out seven secret missions, assisted in the liberation of Corsica, and ran the German blockade of Toulon during her defection to the allies. Cited 7 times out of which 6 at the orders of the navy , ''Casabianca'' was decorated with the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 and was awarded the Red ''Fourragere'' of the Légion d'honneur.

Namesakes

An anti-submarine ''escorteur'' was named ''Casabianca'' from 1957 until 1984. The ''Rubis''-class nuclear submarine ''Casabianca'' is named after the Second World War submarine.

''Casabianca'' in popular culture

The submarine's exploits were used as the basis for the 1951 film ''Casabianca'', starring Pierre Dudan and Jean Vilar. The ''Casabianca'' also appears in the 2007 novel ''The Double Agents'' by W. E. B. Griffin, book five of the '' Men at War'' series.

Notes

References

Further reading

; History of ''Le Casabianca''
* Jean L'Herminier, Casabianca, Éditions France-Empire, first year edition 1953, year 1992,
* Toussaint Griffi, Laurent Preziosi, Première mission en Corse occupée, avec le sous-marin ''Casabianca'' (décembre 1942-mars 1943)'', Éditions L'Harmattan, year 1988
; Technical Documentation
* Les Sous-marins de 1 500 tonnes, Claude Picard, Rennes, Marines Editions, year 2006, total pages 119, ,
* Pierre Vincent-Bréchignac, Flottes de combat 1940-1942, Flottes de combat, Paris, year 1942

External links

*
Q183

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casabianca (Q183)
Submarines of France
Ships built in France
1935 ships
World War II submarines of France
Submarines of the Free French Naval Forces
Redoutable-class submarines (1928)