MN Surcouf - A Mysterious Disappearance, Never Solved 

With regard to the loss of Surcouf in a putative collision, I urge you to look at the loss of HMS M-1 in the English Channel in 1925. Like Surcouf, M-1 was a submarine cruiser, the difference being it had only one big gun in its turret (it may have been battleship-calibre, though). Britain's M-boats were direct descendants of the notorious K-boats, another evolutionary dead end submarines passed through during the inter-war years. The K-boats were intended to sail with the main fleet and keep up with them, before diving to attack in a general engagement and thus, in order to keep pace with surface warships, the K-boats were steam-powered, There's a few good videos on RU-vid explaining what a horrible idea the K-boats were, but the M-boats inherited the remaining hulls when production ceased. M-1 became a submarine cruiser and M-2 became a seaplane carrier. I don't know off-hand what madness befell M-3, but it was probably on a par with the other two. Anyway, M-1 was lost with all hands while on a training patrol and was suspected to have been rammed by the Swedish steamer SS Vidar, which reported striking an underwater object and, when drydocked, was found to have damage to her bow and forward keel. The damage was actually quite minor and was easily fixed, hence why people for a long time had trouble believing Vidar did indeed sink M-1. However, when M-1's wreck was discovered in 1999 it was found that the turret was detached and was lying upside down on the seabed directly adjacent to the hull. The only way it could have ended up like that, it was theorized, was as a result of an impact, which lent credence to the Vidar theory. The 1999 investigation demonstrated that the turret was M-1's real Achilles heel, a weak spot on the deck that, if breached underwater, would lead to catastrophic flooding because, just like Surcouf, its ammunition storage hoist ran vertically from the magazine at the bottom of the hull up a shaft to the turret and there were no watertight doors or cut-offs to close it in the event of a breach. It's surmised that Vidar struck the submerged M-1 a glancing blow that was just enough to knock the turret off its mountings and let the water flood in, causing M-1 to be destabilized and to roll over in the direction of the turret, which then fully snapped off as a result of the forces acting on it as it sank, and the two came to rest on the seabed side by side at a depth of around 250ft. It seems there were some survivors in a rear compartment but there was no way to rescue them because the Admiralty didn't know for several days that M-1 had been lost and there was no escape equipment on board capable of supporting an ascent from that depth. When the wreck of M-1 was surveyed a rear deck hatch was found to have been opened from the inside. The escaping crewmen's bodies were never found.

a treaty none of the signatories like sounds like a success

It is said that "The French follow no one, and no one follows the French".....seems to work in this case

I think she got sunk by mistaken identity.

I love the silly rumors about what happened to the sub. At my home, there are persistent tales of a German Submarine slipping into the Bay of St. Louis (just off the Gulf of Mexico, near New Orleans) and a local store owner replenishing all their food stocks for a high profit. I have heard this for 50 years. The problem with this story is that the Bay is only 7 feet deep !!!

I can just imagine the Germans arriving at the refit base, and quietly telling the French to slip away just to be able to laugh more at the Allies misfortunes.

It would be incredible if and when the remains of the Surcouf are found.

I think the captain just tapped his heels together said "Theres no place like home" before Scotty beamed the whole sub up. Now there whalers on the moon they carry their harpoons but there ain't no whales so they tell tall tales and sing their whaling tune.

Design Team: "Monsieur, which is more important.... torpedo's or a brig for 40 men" Naval Command: "...they will surrender in droves when they see this. Let's go with the brig but put in lots of tubes so we look serious. Besides we have our 8 inch guns... torpedo's are so overrated." Naval Command 20 minutes later: "...ummm, by chance do we have room for a plane?" Design Team: "...hmmm, I guess, but wouldn't you rather have more torpedo's?" Naval Command: "NO, WE DON'T WANT ANYMORE TORPEDO'S."

I know you’ve already did a video on Nagato’s wreck, but could we see a video on Nagato herself? Mostly, general consensus at the battle off Samar seems to be that she missed all her shots, but naval historian Robert Lundgren has proven otherwise. She hit USS Hoel with a 16.1-inch shell to her bow during her torpedo attack, and later alongside Yamato raked Hoel with gunfire, hitting her with both her main and secondary guns, helping to send her to the ocean floor.

Thanks, Skynea. Take care.

TY-I am guessing all those non-fatal explosions, and mishaps, stressed the hull so much she killed herself in a dive, but where?

Not really a theory but an observation: the ocean is a very big and hostile playground-putting to sea in an unstable boat is never a good idea.

Awesome video!

It will never not be funny seeing a submarine with an oversized twin turret on it. It looks so ridiculous

Was sunk by Tom Hanks in that horrendous movie

Applaud the effort.

What a kooky piece of engineering :)

The U.S. Navy had their own cruiser subs. The Norwal and the Nautilus.

you know that last image, I think I actually saw it in someone's video on aircraft carrying submarines... 😜 (just kidding, great job man!)

never heard of this, very interesting.

Cool looking sub.

It's like a Frankenstein of the seas

That's one goofy looking vessel 😅 Thanks for the video

@Skynae history: I was hoping you were going to say that they finally found it, but I'm glad you did a video because most people don't know about this sub.

may it have inverted 180 degrees perhaps because of the top heavy configuration, that with the ballast etc. just a thought

Are there any expeditions planned to attempt to find Surcouf?

I feel that Surcouf would have benefitted greatly from having a mortar installed instead of the 8" guns.

the aircraft whe see at 9.06 is not a autogiro but a Breguet contra rotative rotors helicopter prototype, so called Gyroplane, like the 1934 Breguet Dorand Gyroplane laboratoire...

Who knew all this happened? Apparently YOU And we appreciate it. Thank you for the video.

My father was on PC 1086. They had to do target fire with their 3 inch gun at an island. The Atlantic was so rough they could not hit the island! The PC was a very unstable craft, but it did carry debt charges and could chase submarines around which they did. The captain of the PC was very disgusted and called the whole thing off.

Of course no real idea at all but my guess her sinking was alot more simple.. an experienced crew and during a diving drill someone left a hatch or valve open and she flooded and sunk.

It looks like some thing from the US civil war

after the Martinique episode, an angry Churchill ("the heaviest cross I have to bear...is the Cross of Lorraine") wanted Surcouf and her Gaullist crew erased. She was and they were, by a Brit cruiser in Mid-Atlantic.

It all sounds like the sub was a waste of resources that would have been best laid up for the duration of the war

Thompson Lykes trying to be a secret carrier? 😅

If they ever find the sub. It be an interesting discovery.

Never knew this ship existed.

Ive always had a soft spot for this sub. I doubt she would have performed very well in combat, but she was a masterful feat of engineering. Flawed concept but a unique design that likely would have been a potent weapon for WWI.

She made it to Australia in 1942 where my father, a sailor in the RAN saw her.

Interesting.

One of the “weirdest and worst” ships.

I just love all of the heavy criticism of this innovative boat, built in the 1920s in response to the restrictions of the Washington Treaty. How are all those Littoral Combat Ships working out for the US Navy? At least the French only built 1 Surcouf, there are 17 LCS, most sitting in port...what a wonderful waste of billions. The Japanese copied many of the features of the Surcouf for their I-400...I dont see anyone copying anything from the junk LCS.

It'll be found eventually, just like the French fry we find years later under the mattress.

How did this make it off the drawing board?

My uncle served on that Sub. By the way the day that the British navy attacked the French fleet in Algiers a shoot out happend on board this Sub in a British port. 3 Brits and a Frenchman were killed.

The Brits dodged the Washington Treaty by forcing their Commonwealth navies (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) to ditch their larger ships

I'd imagine the RV petrel is keeping an eye out for her

I think that the fate of this sub is referred to in the book Far Aft and Faintly..

You want to find the Surcouf? Look for a missing enemy ship that should have been in the Surcouf patrol area. Triangulate where the two vessels would have likely met based on their last known position and typical cruising speed. It seems likely it was a battle to the death for both vessels, or one would have reported the kill of the other.

That is so weird looking-a sub with a turret

She was taken to the other alternative Earth where the Destroyermen went to and was taken over by the League. She was then sunk by USS Walker DD163 in the Indian Ocean who were on their way to Madagascart to fight the Grik

The French built such UGLY ships. The SUCCOTH was one of them.

I was always told she submerged to fire her main guns - the muzzle above water obviously

The same people who took this boat are the same ones that operate the tic tac UFOs right now 😂

The photo is "from a Japanese production"? You mean the Japanese made a movie about Surcouf? Or did the Japanese build their own version of a sub with a big gun turret similar to Surcouf during the War?

Battle cruisers are the best old school naval ship imo xD 12 inch guns that can go 60kph+

Good grief !! What a dumpster fire!

*"The Goof" is a better name for this sub/ship.*

Has no one thought this Is the dumbest sub design ever seen? It capsized itself and sank.

Goodness sounds like it had a sitdown restaurant and a starbucks

It looks top heavy.

Looks like a boss out of a Metal Slug game lmao

It was scuttled in Bounty Bay.

A ship reported hitting a partially submerged object at a suitable location and time. The odds of this not being a collision with the Surcouf are extremely small.

I wonder if they found a way of replenishing her torpedoes with british or american manufactured ones

She got sunk by stupidity it sounds like. I guess it's easy to blame Vichy spies when you don't want to acknowledge that you were hostile to a peaceful crew instead of having a conversation. Further not surprising that that crew wouldn't trust you and would choose to return home and leave you to flounder about on your own. It further makes sense that the British would have covered up any accidents involving this vessel because it would have been their fault. Even if it wasn't it's wartime so it's still not going to be widely reported. It's probably covered up after the fact because they know they had an unprepared crew and they knew why they had an unprepared crew and they knew if that information went public the French sailors would be like hold on a second. We were willing to help right up to the moment y'all started shooting at us .....

It had to have survived much longer. How else could it have spirited Adolf off to South America in 1945?

"I never realized what mean guys those Vichy French are" (paraphrasing a kung fu movie)

Under water mine took it out.

What in the hell was somebody smoking when they designed this thing?

Why do we need 2 8" guns? Captain" Turbo boosters.

The French seem to dance to a different drum not unlike the Japanese. The French although very stylish with clothes and building just don't seem to get designing vehicles etc.

I’m here because of azur lane also can’t they check her last known location on the map on her Wikipedia page?

Has anyone looked for her?

which super-villains bought these?

Legend has it, Captain Nemo is still cruising around in his submarine...

When you try to submerge a cruiser.

There also a claim the Sub was lost when according to report a Mine in the canal zone approaches. There also a good chance the Surcouf may have been damaged by the ram but then hit a german floating mine. They were reported in the area by other ships. There was also a large travel lane the sub was using that was basically a Stay in between the lines so air craft dont rip you apart thinking your a uboat. The theory is the ram damaged the radio as there no comms for help and they were located in the most exposed areas then a mine killed her engine and she drifted without means to alert anyone and the Planes though they had found a "milkcow" uboat.

Not that mysterious, really. It was an experimental hull, and due to recent events we all know how quickly things can go wrong with experimental subs.

Her design in Azur Lane is just absolute perfection.

It sank. Mystery solved.

It seems like a lousy experiment

France with any sort of navy is hilarious

The design was way too top heavy, too many things could went wrong and the design sank fast

If I was running a country, I'd jail everyone who felt it was necessary to waste the country's time, space and money on this.... idiotic embarrassment. Just wow. Gives me more reason not to like the French.

The British should have seized and operated all the French equipment they had, since they couldn’t trust their loyalty towards the allies……..!!!!!!

Aliens 👽 came down and brought it into space and turned it into a spaceship. 😆😆😆😆

Whoever thought this was a good idea was in the wrong committee 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

As a nerd 55cm= about 21.7” not 22”.

Submarine built in the 1920s. Mystery solved.

Substandard design. 😂

My money is on the English pulling a pirate move and lying about it, my fanfiction she was converted in secret to work as spy ship,

an overweight unwanted foster child ,bounced from home to home then outa the house he goes,,again

This French monstrosity had everything but a McDonald's playland.

What a dumb idea. What was the frogs smoking?

Yikes. What a stupid design

This crap boat was sooo French!

Probably raised its white flag first, then disappeared……

What was the intended purpose of the submarine? If the guns couldn't traverse then they wouldn't be much good against ships however, if they intended to use it against sea ports etc, then it might well of been worthwhile. If a single gun was placed inside the main hull of the submarine with a large hatch to fire through then the gun could of been made watertight and the submarine wouldn't of been so top heavy. If aiming at towns and ports then accuracy wouldn't be as important. It's easy to look back and criticise ideas that didn't work out but current submarines are equipped with missiles to attack land targets and the Surcouf seems to be an experiment in that direction but just limited by the technology of it's time.