French submarine Eurydice (S644)

Eurydice was a French submarine, one of eleven of the Daphné class.

Flore, sister ship of Eurydice
History
France
NameEurydice
NamesakeEurydice, a character in Greek mythology
Launched19 June 1962
Commissioned26 September 1964
HomeportSaint-Tropez, France
IdentificationS644
FateSunk 4 March 1970
General characteristics
Class and typeDaphné-class submarine
Displacement
  • 869 tonnes surfaced
  • 1,043 tonnes submerged
Length57.75 m (189 ft 6 in)
Beam6.74 m (22 ft 1 in)
Draught5.25 m (17 ft 3 in)
PropulsionDiesel-electric, two shafts, 1,600 shp (1,200 kW)
Speed
  • Submerged: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
  • Snorkelling: 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
  • Surfaced: 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
RangeSurfaced: 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph)
Endurance30 days
Test depth300 m (980 ft)

On 4 March 1970, while Eurydice was submerged under calm seas off Cape Camarat in the Mediterranean Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) east of Toulon, France, a geophysical laboratory picked up the shock waves of an underwater explosion. French and Italian search teams found an oil slick and a few bits of debris, including a part that bore the name Eurydice. The United States Navy oceanographic research ship USNS Mizar (T-AGOR-11) also took part in the search and on 22 April 1970 discovered several large pieces of wreckage off Cape Camarat near Saint-Tropez at depths ranging from 600 to 1,100 metres (2,000 to 3,600 ft).

The cause of the explosion was never determined. All 57 crew were lost.

See also edit

Citations edit

References edit

  • "Mystery of French submarine disasters can never be unveiled". Submariners World. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  • "Daphné the Doomed". Time. 16 March 1970. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  • "Historique du sous-marin Eurydice" (in French). Net-Marine. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  • "La Flotte de guerre française en 1968" (in French). Net-Marine. Retrieved 2008-03-08.

External links edit