French submarine Ouessant (Q180)
Ouessant was a French Navy of the M6 series commissioned in 1937. She participated in World War II on the side of the Allies until she was scuttled in 1940. Characteristics Ouessant was part of a fairly homogeneous series of 31 deep-sea patrol submarines also called "1,500-tonners" because of their displacement. All entered service between 1931 and 1939. The Redoutable-class submarines were long and in beam and had a draft of . They could dive to a depth of . They displaced on the surface and underwater. Propelled on the surface by two diesel engines producing a combined , they had a maximum speed of . When submerged, their two electric motors produced a combined and allowed them to reach . Also called "deep-cruising submarines", their range on the surface was at . Underwater, they could travel at . Construction and commissioning Laid down at Arsenal de Cherbourg in Cherbourg, France, on either 30 January or 4 April 1932, according to different sources, with the hull number Q180, Ouessant was launched on 30 November 1934. She was commissioned on 1 February 1937. Service history 1937–1939 Based on the experiences of other French submarines, which had made endurance cruises to places