| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | La Psyché |
| Namesake | Psyche, the goddess of thesoul inGreek mythology |
| Operator | French Navy |
| Builder | Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand,Le Havre, France |
| Laid down | 26 December 1930 |
| Launched | 4 August 1932 |
| Commissioned | 23 December 1933 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Diane-classsubmarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 64.4 m (211 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 80 metres (262 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 38 men |
| Armament |
|
La Psyché (Q174) was aFrench NavyDiane-classsubmarinecommissioned in 1933. DuringWorld War II, she operated on theAllied side until 1940, when she became part of the naval forces ofVichy France. She was sunk in November 1942.
French sources sometimes refer to the submarine simply asPsyché, either instead of or interchangeably withLa Psyché.[1][2][3]
La Psyché was authorized in the 1929 naval program[1] and herkeel waslaid down atChantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand inLe Havre,France, on 26 December 1930.[1][4] She waslaunched on 4 August 1932 with over 2,000 people in attendance,[1][2][4] and she wascommissioned atCherbourg, France, on 23 December 1933.[1][4]
La Psyché was at sea for exercises on 21 September 1933,[1] and she put to sea for exercises again on 28 September 1933.[1] She got underway for exercises with the submarineLe Glorieux on 10 October 1933[1] and again on 15 November 1933 with the submarinesL'Espoir andOréade and theminelayerPollux.[1]
On 23 February 1934,La Psyché and the submarineDiane were recorded as en route toDunkirk, France.[1]La Psyché arrived in Le Havre from Cherbourg on 28 April 1934 to undergo major modifications.[1] In November 1934La Psyché, hersister shipsAmazone andMéduse, and the submarineDanaé visitedLeith,Scotland.[1][3]
WhenWorld War II began on 1 September 1939 with the Germaninvasion of Poland,La Psyché was part of the 18th SubmarineDivision — a part of the 2nd SubmarineSquadron in the 6th Squadron — along with her sister shipsAmphitrite,Méduse, andOréade, based atOran inAlgeria.[1] France entered the war on the side of theAllies on 3 September 1939.
German ground forces advanced into France, theNetherlands,Belgium, andLuxembourg on 10 May 1940, beginning theBattle of France, andItaly declared war on France on 10 June 1940 andjoined the invasion. The battle ended in France's defeat andarmisticeswith Germany on 22 June 1940 andwith Italy on 24 June. When the armistices both went into effect on 25 June 1940,La Psyché was at Oran.[1]
After France's surrender,La Psyché served in the naval forces ofVichy France. Following a refit atBizerte inTunisia, she got underway to escort the French Navysubmarine tenderJules Verne toDakar inSenegal, where the two vessels arrived on 23 March 1941.[1]
La Psyché andOréade visitedSafi,French Morocco, from 7 to 19 January 1942 andPort Lyautey, French Morocco, from 13 to 17 February 1942.[1] On 1 November 1942, the two submarines were part of the 18th Submarine Division and were recorded as being at sea off Oran, bound forCasablanca in French Morocco.[1]
La Psyché was in port at Casablanca on 8 November 1942 whenAllied forces invadedFrench North Africa inOperation Torch. As theNaval Battle of Casablanca began that morning, theUnited States Navyaircraft carrierUSS Ranger (CV-4) andescort aircraft carrierUSS Suwannee (CVE-27) began launching airstrikes targeting Casablanca, the first of which attacked at 07:10.[1] U.S. NavySBD Dauntlessdive bombers attackedLa Psyché at 08:15, sinking her in the harbor at33°06′30″N007°36′58″W / 33.10833°N 7.61611°W /33.10833; -7.61611 (La Psyché).[1][4] Hercommanding officer, two otherofficers, and eight crewmen were killed, and many members of her crew were wounded.[1]
Hostilities between Allied and French forces in French North Africa ceased on 11 November 1942, and French forces inAfrica subsequently joined the Allies as part of the forces ofFree France.La Psyché was refloated in 1944 but never repaired.[4] She subsequently was scrapped.
