French submarine Minerve (S647)

The Daphné class comprised second-class submarines, intermediate between the larger, ocean-going submarines of the Narval class and the small, specialised antisubmarine vessels of the Aréthuse class. The design was a development of the Aréthuse class, and were required to keep the low noise levels and high manoeuvrability of the smaller submarines, while also keeping a small crew and being easy to maintain.[3]

Minerve had an overall length of 57.8 m (190 ft), with a beam of 6.8 m (22 ft) and a draught of 5.25 m (17.2 ft). Displacement was 883 t (869 long tons) surfaced and 1,060 t (1,043 long tons) submerged.[3] The submarine had diesel-electric propulsion, with two 12-cylinder SEMP Pielstick diesel engines rated at a total of 1,300 bhp (970 kW) and one electric motor, rated at 1,600 shp (1,200 kW), which drove two propeller shafts, giving a speed of 13.5 kn (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) on the surface and 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) submerged.[3][4] The ship's machinery and equipment were modular in order to ease maintenance. Range was 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[3] The submarine was designed to dive to a depth of 300 m (980 ft).[5]

Minerve was fitted with twelve 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes, with eight in the bow and four in the stern. No reload torpedoes were carried.[3] The ship had a crew of 45, composed of six officers and 39 enlisted.[3][4]

Minerve was ordered under the 1957 French Naval Estimates,[4] was laid down in May 1958 at the Chantiers Dubigeon shipyard in Nantes, and launched on 31 May 1961.[3] After a shakedown cruise to Londonderry Port, Bergen, and Gothenburg in November 1962, the submarine sailed from Cherbourg to Toulon, arriving on 22 December 1962. She was commissioned into the 1st Submarine Squadron on 10 June 1964. Minerve operated solely in the Mediterranean Sea. She was refitted at Missiessy Quay, Toulon, in 1967.[6]

On 27 January 1968, at 07:55 CET, Minerve was travelling just beneath the surface of the Gulf of Lion using her snorkel, roughly 25 nmi (46 km) from her base in Toulon, when she advised an accompanying Bréguet Atlantic aircraft that she would be at her berth in about an hour. This proved to be the last time the boat and her crew of 6 officers and 46 enlistees made contact. She disappeared in waters between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,300 and 6,600 ft) deep.[7]

Commander Philipe Bouillot later said that Minerve's new captain, Lieutenant de vaisseau André Fauve, had spent 7,000 hours submerged over four years on submarines of the same class and never had a problem. The only factor known that could have caused her to sink was the weather, which was extremely bad at the time of her loss.[7][8]

The French Navy launched a search for the missing submarine, mobilizing numerous ships, including the aircraft carrier Clemenceau and the submersible SP-350 Denise under the supervision of Jacques Cousteau, but found nothing and the operation was called off on 2 February 1968.[9] The search for Minerve, under the name Operation Reminer, continued into 1969 and used the submersible Archimède with the U.S. survey ship USNS Mizar.[9]

In October 2018, Hervé Fauve, the son of the last commander of the Minerve, led families of the crew to ask for new research through the French media. The submarine was the only Western missing submarine which had not been found since the end of World War II. The French Government started a new search for Minerve on 4 July 2019 in deep waters about 45 km (28 mi) south of Toulon.[10][11] The discovery of the location of the wreck was announced on 22 July 2019[2] by the company Ocean Infinity using the search ship Seabed Constructor.[12]

The wreck was found at a depth of 2,350 m (7,710 ft), broken into three main pieces scattered over 300 m (980 ft) along the seabed. Although Minerve's sail was destroyed, identifying the wreckage was possible, as the letters "MINE" and "S" (from Minerve and S647, respectively) were still readable on the hull.[13]

Admiral Jean-Louis Barbier and Victor Vescovo on Minerve dive 1 February 2020

On the day of her discovery, 22 July 2019, Squadron Vice-Admiral Charles-Henri du Ché, responsible for the search, declared that the remains of the submarine would be left untouched and would become a maritime sanctuary. A ceremony is to be held in the location where Minerve vanished with the relatives of the submariners in attendance.[14]

The Department of Underwater Archaeological Research (DRASSM) is responsible for the study and protection of France's submerged heritage. This office, under the administration of the Ministry of Culture, organized dives on the Minerve wreck for both the French Navy and a memorial ceremony for the families of the crew. The deep-ocean explorer Victor Vescovo volunteered his 2-seat deep-submersible Limiting Factor for the dives.

Partial name visible on sail, Feb 2020

On the first dive, 1 February 2020, Vescovo escorted retired French Rear Admiral Jean-Louis Barbier to the Minerve site to gather new information on the cause of the loss. [15] [16]

On the second dive, 2 February, Vescovo piloted Hervé Fauve, the son of the submarine’s commanding officer, in the second seat. At the bottom they placed a granite memorial plaque on a section of the Minerve’s hull at a depth of over 2,370 meters – to a recording of La Marseilles. Victor Vescovo later stated: “As a former naval officer, I was very honored to partner with our French allies…” [17]

• List of submarines of France

Sources

• Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1962). Jane's Fighting Ships 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Couhat, Jean Labayle; Baker, A. D., III, eds. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87: Their Ships, Aircraft and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minerve (S647).

• "Disappearance of the Minerve" (in French). Hervé Fauve Wixsite. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
• "Submarine Minerve Lost In Mediterranean". British Pathé.