General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: Surcouf & Project CA.35, Part.2
Posted by:
Terry Andrews
()
Date: September 14, 2002 07:17PM
<HTML>Part.2 continued.
The tragic bloodshed at Plymouth resulted in only 40 of the 129 men in the original crew being retained. The remainder were replaced-mainly by untrained men-under the command of Capitaine de Vaisseau Ortoli with Lieutenant de Vaisseau Blaison as First Lieutenant. As in all Allied submarines serving under British operational control, one officer, a Signalman and a Telegraphist from the Royal Navy were also drafted to the boat, not to tell the French how to go about their business but simply to make sure that orders were understood and signals were correctly transmitted and received.
Morale throughout the scatered french Navy was understandably low and Surcouf, following the shooting incident, had special problems, especially to train the new crew of such a giant submarine to the peak of efficiency for war. Now much thought was given by the Admiralty to how best Surcouf might be used in the war at sea.
Surcouf was recommissioned with her new crew on 15th September 1940 and went to sea for the first time on 20th December, and making her first dive two days later before sailing for an inadeqaute one week's work-up on the Holy Loch from 7th to 14th February 1941. She sailed for Halifax on 19th February and remained there throughout March until joining Convoy HX 118 on the 1st April. On the 17th April, the submarine arrived back in Devonport, having been attacked by a German seaplane the previous day. During the following week, German bombs on Plymouth resulted in superficial damage. One man was killed and six wounded: morale did not improve. The Admiralty meanwhile had decided to convert Surcouf to a store carrier to carry urgently needed stores to Malta as a part of the invaluable submarine 'magic carpet' run which kept the besieged garrison supplied from June 1941 to October 1942. However the Admiralty cahnged their minds and it was becoming more and more apparant that Surcouf was something of a white elephant.
On 14th May 1941, she sailed for an uneventful Atlantic patrol en route to Bermuda from which base she made a three-week anti-surface raider patrol before moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she stayed for a three month refit. The end of November found her still unemployed and once more in Bermuda. She sailed for Halifax on 7th December.
On the 12th December, Admiral Muselier also arrived at Halifax with the three corvettes Mimosa, Alysse and Aconit. This small force, together with Surcouf, was secretly assembled to annex the St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands- a project which met with strong opposition from the United States Government because it would imperil the US State Department's agreement with Vichy. But on 18th December, the Admiral received a formal order from General de Gaulle to proceed without informing any foreign nationals. It is not clear how much the British knew about Surcouf's movements at this time, but it is possible that they promoted the annexation clandestinely because the radio stations on the islands,while controlled by Vichy, could well be reporting Allied convoy movements to the enemy. However the Admiralty seems to have been largely kept in the dark.
Ten days later on 8th December, when the submarine was nominally on passage to Halifax the Norwegian tanker Atlantic, reported sighting a large submarine flying the French flag 546 miles south of Halifax, but the British Admiralty seems only to have surmised that this was Surcouf. The submarines' precise movements were probably unknown and it is not certain who had operational control of her.
The tanker reported being chased all round the compass before the submarine made off in a NNE direction.
Presumably, Surcouf, having established the friendly nature of the Atlantic, simply went on her way for she had a speed advantage of some eight knots over the tanker and could have caught her if she had so wished.
Now this small incident has relevance because rumours were going around to the effect that Surcouf was carrying out some kind of Fifth Column activity and torpedoing Allied ships when the opportunity arose to do so while suposedly escorting them in convoy. One of the two British ratings on board later alleged that two torpedoes were mysteriously lost during each convoy operation.
However these superstitions and rumours were constantly refuelled by the secretiveness of the French. In Halifax Muselier put it about that he had brought the ships together only in order to inspect them, but it was not a healthy time of the year foe any kind of landing operation, but at noon on 23rd december, Surcouf and the three corvettes sailed out of Halifax harbour in the general direction of Newfoundland, supposedly for independant exercises.
By the early hours of Christmas eve Surcouf was off the port of St Pierre but she could not enter the port as her draught was too great, she instead transferred her landing party to the corvettes, which pressed on in to seize without any resistance the islands. Militarily speaking, the operation was successful and it passed without incident. The Free French flag was hoisted and Muselier informed the Admiralty on Christmas day. The Admiralty did not want to know: the British Government disassociating itself from the whole affair for fear of upsetting the United States.
Meanwhile Surcouf was left at sea exposed to the dangers of U-boat attack but with orders to torpedo any ship which under cover of darkness, entered the islands territorial waters. Armed intervention by the Americans or the Canadians was possible - even probable - and these orders put Blaison in an uncomfortable situation. Muselier ordered Surcouf to return to Halifax, but the political situation created by the operation boiled up and the submarine was kept on patrol off St. Pierre for a fortnight before matters clamed down suffciently to allow her to berth again in Halifax on the 14th january 1942. here she remained, trying to put right her ever growing list of defects until once more she sailed for Bermuda, where she arrived at the end of the month, reverting to British control
Despite French accounts which describe movingly the farewells to Muselier their Commander-in-Chief, at St. Pierre, all was not well. Even making due allowance for the British Liason Officer's prejudices and the mutual dislikes which had built up in a crowded wardroom, the reports which he rendered to the British Commander-in-Chief (America and West Indies) at Bermuda, The final tragedy in Surcouf's unhappy and unfruitful career, since that fateful day in Plymouth a year and a half earlier, now started to unfold with orders to proceed to Tahiti.
Summarised by the latter's signal of 6th February 1942 to Flag Officer Submarines. Stamped Most Secret tells the remainder of the story:
"B.N.L.O.(British Naval Liason Officer) Surcouf has given me copies of his reports dated 17th december, 1st Janaury and 16th January addressed to you. After discussion with B.N.L.O. and fom my experience of Surcouf I am convinced that this most unsatisfactory state of affairs is not in the least exaggerated.
The two main troubles are lack of interest and incompetency, discipline is bad and the offciers have little control. I have no suggestions to make which are likely to assist in eliminating those defects which I am afraid are inherent.
Surcouf is a large complicated and indifferently designed submarine and in my opinion could only be of operational value if manned by an excetioanlly welltrained crew. even her size places severe limitations on her sphere of usefulness. At present she is of no operational value and is little short of a menace.
Surcouf will leave Bermuda on 7th February for Tahiti via Panama Canal unless otherwise ordered. For Political reasons it may be considered desirable to keep her in comission, but my view is that she should proceed to U.K. and pay off. request very early decision on this question, and in any case before 13th february when Surcouf will be due at Colon."
The final chapter and fate of Surcouf was about to unfold or has it?
Final Chapter tomorrow.
Hope you have enjoyed it so far.
regards
Terry Andrews.
The U-boat Chronicles.</HTML>
The tragic bloodshed at Plymouth resulted in only 40 of the 129 men in the original crew being retained. The remainder were replaced-mainly by untrained men-under the command of Capitaine de Vaisseau Ortoli with Lieutenant de Vaisseau Blaison as First Lieutenant. As in all Allied submarines serving under British operational control, one officer, a Signalman and a Telegraphist from the Royal Navy were also drafted to the boat, not to tell the French how to go about their business but simply to make sure that orders were understood and signals were correctly transmitted and received.
Morale throughout the scatered french Navy was understandably low and Surcouf, following the shooting incident, had special problems, especially to train the new crew of such a giant submarine to the peak of efficiency for war. Now much thought was given by the Admiralty to how best Surcouf might be used in the war at sea.
Surcouf was recommissioned with her new crew on 15th September 1940 and went to sea for the first time on 20th December, and making her first dive two days later before sailing for an inadeqaute one week's work-up on the Holy Loch from 7th to 14th February 1941. She sailed for Halifax on 19th February and remained there throughout March until joining Convoy HX 118 on the 1st April. On the 17th April, the submarine arrived back in Devonport, having been attacked by a German seaplane the previous day. During the following week, German bombs on Plymouth resulted in superficial damage. One man was killed and six wounded: morale did not improve. The Admiralty meanwhile had decided to convert Surcouf to a store carrier to carry urgently needed stores to Malta as a part of the invaluable submarine 'magic carpet' run which kept the besieged garrison supplied from June 1941 to October 1942. However the Admiralty cahnged their minds and it was becoming more and more apparant that Surcouf was something of a white elephant.
On 14th May 1941, she sailed for an uneventful Atlantic patrol en route to Bermuda from which base she made a three-week anti-surface raider patrol before moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she stayed for a three month refit. The end of November found her still unemployed and once more in Bermuda. She sailed for Halifax on 7th December.
On the 12th December, Admiral Muselier also arrived at Halifax with the three corvettes Mimosa, Alysse and Aconit. This small force, together with Surcouf, was secretly assembled to annex the St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands- a project which met with strong opposition from the United States Government because it would imperil the US State Department's agreement with Vichy. But on 18th December, the Admiral received a formal order from General de Gaulle to proceed without informing any foreign nationals. It is not clear how much the British knew about Surcouf's movements at this time, but it is possible that they promoted the annexation clandestinely because the radio stations on the islands,while controlled by Vichy, could well be reporting Allied convoy movements to the enemy. However the Admiralty seems to have been largely kept in the dark.
Ten days later on 8th December, when the submarine was nominally on passage to Halifax the Norwegian tanker Atlantic, reported sighting a large submarine flying the French flag 546 miles south of Halifax, but the British Admiralty seems only to have surmised that this was Surcouf. The submarines' precise movements were probably unknown and it is not certain who had operational control of her.
The tanker reported being chased all round the compass before the submarine made off in a NNE direction.
Presumably, Surcouf, having established the friendly nature of the Atlantic, simply went on her way for she had a speed advantage of some eight knots over the tanker and could have caught her if she had so wished.
Now this small incident has relevance because rumours were going around to the effect that Surcouf was carrying out some kind of Fifth Column activity and torpedoing Allied ships when the opportunity arose to do so while suposedly escorting them in convoy. One of the two British ratings on board later alleged that two torpedoes were mysteriously lost during each convoy operation.
However these superstitions and rumours were constantly refuelled by the secretiveness of the French. In Halifax Muselier put it about that he had brought the ships together only in order to inspect them, but it was not a healthy time of the year foe any kind of landing operation, but at noon on 23rd december, Surcouf and the three corvettes sailed out of Halifax harbour in the general direction of Newfoundland, supposedly for independant exercises.
By the early hours of Christmas eve Surcouf was off the port of St Pierre but she could not enter the port as her draught was too great, she instead transferred her landing party to the corvettes, which pressed on in to seize without any resistance the islands. Militarily speaking, the operation was successful and it passed without incident. The Free French flag was hoisted and Muselier informed the Admiralty on Christmas day. The Admiralty did not want to know: the British Government disassociating itself from the whole affair for fear of upsetting the United States.
Meanwhile Surcouf was left at sea exposed to the dangers of U-boat attack but with orders to torpedo any ship which under cover of darkness, entered the islands territorial waters. Armed intervention by the Americans or the Canadians was possible - even probable - and these orders put Blaison in an uncomfortable situation. Muselier ordered Surcouf to return to Halifax, but the political situation created by the operation boiled up and the submarine was kept on patrol off St. Pierre for a fortnight before matters clamed down suffciently to allow her to berth again in Halifax on the 14th january 1942. here she remained, trying to put right her ever growing list of defects until once more she sailed for Bermuda, where she arrived at the end of the month, reverting to British control
Despite French accounts which describe movingly the farewells to Muselier their Commander-in-Chief, at St. Pierre, all was not well. Even making due allowance for the British Liason Officer's prejudices and the mutual dislikes which had built up in a crowded wardroom, the reports which he rendered to the British Commander-in-Chief (America and West Indies) at Bermuda, The final tragedy in Surcouf's unhappy and unfruitful career, since that fateful day in Plymouth a year and a half earlier, now started to unfold with orders to proceed to Tahiti.
Summarised by the latter's signal of 6th February 1942 to Flag Officer Submarines. Stamped Most Secret tells the remainder of the story:
"B.N.L.O.(British Naval Liason Officer) Surcouf has given me copies of his reports dated 17th december, 1st Janaury and 16th January addressed to you. After discussion with B.N.L.O. and fom my experience of Surcouf I am convinced that this most unsatisfactory state of affairs is not in the least exaggerated.
The two main troubles are lack of interest and incompetency, discipline is bad and the offciers have little control. I have no suggestions to make which are likely to assist in eliminating those defects which I am afraid are inherent.
Surcouf is a large complicated and indifferently designed submarine and in my opinion could only be of operational value if manned by an excetioanlly welltrained crew. even her size places severe limitations on her sphere of usefulness. At present she is of no operational value and is little short of a menace.
Surcouf will leave Bermuda on 7th February for Tahiti via Panama Canal unless otherwise ordered. For Political reasons it may be considered desirable to keep her in comission, but my view is that she should proceed to U.K. and pay off. request very early decision on this question, and in any case before 13th february when Surcouf will be due at Colon."
The final chapter and fate of Surcouf was about to unfold or has it?
Final Chapter tomorrow.
Hope you have enjoyed it so far.
regards
Terry Andrews.
The U-boat Chronicles.</HTML>
