View source for French submarine Danaé

{{otherships|French ship Danaé}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=nodab}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:Ariane (1929).jpg
|Ship caption=''Danaé''′s [[sister ship]] {{ship|French submarine|Ariane|Q122|2}} in 1930.
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=France
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|France|naval}} 
|Ship name=''Danaé''
|Ship namesake=[[Danaë]], a [[princess]] in [[Greek mythology]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=[[French Navy]]
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=1923
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand]], [[Le Havre]],&nbsp;[[France]]
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|Ship laid down=3 July 1923
|Ship launched=13&nbsp;September&nbsp;1927
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|Ship commissioned=1 November 1929
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|Ship fate=[[Scuttling|Scuttled]] 9 November 1942
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Ariane-class submarine|''Ariane''-class submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|626|LT|t}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|787|LT|t}} (submerged)
|Ship length={{convert|64|or|65.98|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (sources&nbsp;disagree)
|Ship beam= {{convert|4.92|or|6.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (sources&nbsp;disagree)
|Ship draft={{convert|3.82|or|4.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (sources&nbsp;disagree)
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*2 x {{convert|600|hp|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[Vickers]] [[diesel engine]]s
*2 x {{convert|500|hp|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[electric motor]]s 
|Ship speed=*{{convert|14|kn|abbr=on}} (surfaced)
*{{Convert|7.5|kn|abbr=on}} (submerged)
|Ship range=*{{convert|3,500|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|7.5|kn}} (surface)
*{{convert|75|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn}} (submerged)
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|Ship test depth={{convert|80|m|0|abbr=on}}
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|Ship complement=3&nbsp;[[Commissioned officer|officers]], 38&nbsp;[[Enlisted rank|men]]
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|Ship armament=*7 x {{convert|21.7|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} [[torpedo tube]]s (6&nbsp;[[Bow (ship)|bow]]/1&nbsp;[[stern]]) or (3 internal bow/2 rotating external bow/2 stern) (sources&nbsp;disagree)
*1 x [[Canon de 75 modèle 1897#Naval and coastal artillery|{{convert|75|mm|in|abbr=on|2}}]] [[deck gun]]
*1 or 2 x [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|{{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on|2}}]] {{nowrap|[[machine gun]]s}} (sources&nbsp;disagree)
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Danaé'' (Q131)''' was a [[French Navy]] {{sclass|Ariane|submarine}} [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] in 1929. During [[World War II]], she operated on the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] side until 1940, when she became part of the naval forces of [[Vichy France]]. She was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] in November 1942.

==Construction and commissioning==
Ordered under the 1923 naval programme,<ref name=ubootefr>[http://www.u-boote.fr/danae.htm u-boote.fr DANAÉ (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022]</ref> ''Danaé'' was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] along with her [[sister ship]] {{ship|French submarine|Eurydice|Q130|2}}<ref>[http://www.u-boote.fr/eurydice1.htm u-boote.fr u-boote.fr EURYDICE (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022]</ref> at [[Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand]] in [[Le Havre]], [[France]], on 3 July 1923 with the [[hull number]] Q131.<ref name=ubootefr/> She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 3 September 1927.<ref name=ubootefr/> After [[Fitting-out|fitting out]], she began her builder′s [[Sea trials|trials]] on 1 December 1927<ref name=ubootefr/> and her official acceptance trials on 3 January 1928,<ref name=ubootefr/> arriving at Le Havre for testing on 14 January 1928.<ref name=ubootefr/> She made her first unrestricted dive on 18 February 1928.<ref name=ubootefr/> Her final equipping and armament for service took place at [[Cherbourg-en-Cotentin|Cherbourg]], France, from 1 August 1928 to 1 October 1929,<ref name=ubootefr/> during which she got underway for additional trials on 17 November 1928,<ref name=ubootefr/> and she was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 1 November 1929.<ref name=ubootefr/>

==Service history==
<!--This needs expansion with more information on 's prewar activities.-->
On 11 July 1932, ''Danaé'' participated briefly in the investigation of the loss of the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Prométhée|1930|2}},<ref name=ubootefr/> which had sunk suddenly in the [[English Channel]] during her sea trials on 7 July 1932 with the loss of 62 lives.<ref>[http://sous.marins.disparus.free.fr/index.php/sous-marins/42-promethee?showall=1 Sous-Marins Français Disparus & Accidents: Sous-Marin Prométhée (in French) Accessed 15 October 2022]</ref>

===French Navy===
When [[World War II]] began on 1 September 1939 with the German [[invasion of Poland]], ''Danaé'' was part of the 14th Submarine [[Division (naval)|Division]] — a part of the 2nd Submarine [[Squadron (naval)|Squadron]] in the 6th Squadron — along with her sister ships {{ship|French submarine|Ariane|Q122|2}} and ''Eurydice'' and the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Diane|NN4|2}}, based at [[Oran]] in [[French Algeria|Algeria]].<ref name=ubootefr/> France entered the war on the side of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] on 3 September 1939. German ground forces advanced into France on 10 May 1940, beginning the [[Battle of France]], and [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Italy]] declared war on France on 10 June 1940 and [[Italian invasion of France|joined the invasion]]. The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and an [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|armistice]] with Germany and Italy on 22 June 1940. When the armistice went into effect on 25 June 1940, ''Danaé'' still was based at Oran.<ref name=ubootefr/>

===Vichy France===

After France′s surrender, ''Danaé'' served in the naval forces of [[Vichy France]]. On 3 July 1940, the British began [[Operation Catapult]], which sought to seize or neutralize the ships of the French Navy to prevent their use by the Germans, and ''Danaé'' was in port at the French naval base at [[Mers El Kébir]] at Oran that day when a British naval squadron arrived off the base and demanded that the French Navy either turn over the ships based there to British custody or disable them. The French put their submarines at Oran on alert,<ref name=ubootefr/> and at 15:00 ''Danaé'' and ''Ariane'' were ready for sea.<ref name=ubootefr/> They [[anchor]]ed in the outer harbor at 15:30 with ''Diane'' and ''Eurydice'',<ref name=ubootefr/> and at 17:54 the four submarines received orders to put to sea.<ref name=ubootefr/>

When the British warships opened fire on the French ships in the harbor at 17:57,<ref name=ubootefr/> beginning their [[attack on Mers-el-Kébir]], ''Danaé'' was {{convert|4|nmi}} west of ''Ariane'', which was {{convert|4|nmi}} west of ''Diane'', which in turn was {{convert|3.5|nmi}} west of Pointe de l’Aiguille ({{coord|35|52|31|N|000|29|04|W|name=Pointe de l’Aiguille}}) in [[Oran Province]].<ref name=ubootefr/> None of the four submarines was able to close with the British ships during the battle.<ref name=ubootefr/> After dark, a British aircraft sighted ''Danaé'' and ''Eurydice'' and dropped illuminated marker buoys to guide a British [[destroyer]] to them.<ref name=ubootefr/> The destroyer [[Depth charge|depth-charged]] the two submarines, but they escaped damage.<ref name=ubootefr/> During the night of 3–4 July 1940, the four submarines patrolled on the surface off Oran in a north-south patrol line.<ref name=ubootefr/> They remained on patrol off Oran until 20:00 on 4 July 1940 before returning to Oran.<ref name=ubootefr/>

In October 1940, ''Danaé'' was placed under guard at Oran in an unarmed and unfueled status in accordance with the terms of the 22 June 1940 armistice.<ref name=ubootefr/>

===Loss===
''Danaé'' still was in this status when Allied forces invaded [[French North Africa]] in [[Operation Torch]] on 8 November 1942.<ref name=ubootefr/> She was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] at Oran on 9 November 1942 to prevent her capture by Allied forces.<ref name=ubootefr/>

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|lang=fr|first1=Jean|last1=Moulin|title=Les sous-marins français en images|location=Rennes|publisher=[[Groupe Sipa - Ouest-France|Marines Éditions]]|year=2006|pages=14–15|isbn=2-915379-40-8}}.
* {{cite book|author1=Donald A. Bertke|author2=Don Kindell|author3=Gordon Smith|author4=Susan A. Bertke|title=World War II Sea War: France Falls, Britain Stands Alone: Day-to-Day Naval Actions from April 1940 through September 1940|volume=2|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2011|page=192|isbn=978-1-937470-00-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WnhIAwAAQBAJ&dq=Ariane+Q122+french+submarine&pg=PA192}}.

==External links==

* {{Cite web|lang=fr|title= Sous marin côtier de 2ème classe ou 600 tonnes Classe Ondine 1 |url= http://www.agasm.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/classe-ondine-1.pdf |date= 27 May 2018 |website= AGASM |access-date= 27 December 2019}}
* {{Cite web|lang=fr|title= 13-Sous-marins (12) sous-marins classe Ondine/Ariane (1) |url= https://clausuchronia.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/13-sous-marins-12-sous-marins-classe-ondineariane-1/ |date= 29 August 2013 |website= CLAUSUCHRONIA. Une uchronie un peu folle |access-date= 27 December 2019}}
* {{cite web|lang=fr|title= DANAÉ |url= http://www.u-boote.fr/danae.htm |date= |website= Bases Sous-Marines - Sous-Marins et U-Boote - La Bataille de l'Atlantique |access-date= 29 December 2019}}
* {{cite web|title= Q131 Danaé |url= http://www.shipbucket.com/drawings/1998 |date= |website= Shipbucket |access-date= 29 December 2019}}

{{Ariane-class submarines}}
{{November 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danaé (Q131)}}
[[Category:Ariane-class submarines]]
[[Category:1927 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of France]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1942]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Algeria]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of France]]