French submarine Eurydice (S644)

For other ships with the same name, see French submarine Eurydice.

Eurydice was a French submarine, one of eleven of the Daphné class.

Flore, sister ship of Eurydice
History
France
Name	Eurydice
Namesake	Eurydice, a character in Greek mythology
Launched	19 June 1962
Commissioned	26 September 1964
Homeport	Saint-Tropez, France
Identification	S644
Fate	Sunk 4 March 1970
General characteristics
Class and type	Daphné-class submarine
Displacement	869 tonnes surfaced 1,043 tonnes submerged
Length	57.75 m (189 ft 6 in)
Beam	6.74 m (22 ft 1 in)
Draught	5.25 m (17 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric, two shafts, 1,600 shp (1,200 kW)
Speed	Submerged: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) Snorkelling: 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) Surfaced: 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range	Surfaced: 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph)
Endurance	30 days
Test depth	300 m (980 ft)

On 4 March 1970, while Eurydice was submerged under calm seas off Cape Camarat in the Mediterranean Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) east of Toulon, France, a geophysical laboratory picked up the shock waves of an underwater explosion. French and Italian search teams found an oil slick and a few bits of debris, including a part that bore the name Eurydice. The search for the missing sub continued for nearly seven weeks. The United States Navy oceanographic research ship USNS Mizar (T-AGOR-11) also took part in the search and on 22 April 1970 discovered several large pieces of wreckage off Cape Camarat near Saint-Tropez at depths ranging from 600 to 1,100 metres (2,000 to 3,600 ft).

The cause of the explosion was never determined. All 57 crew were lost.

See also

• List of submarines of France

References

• "Mystery of French submarine disasters can never be unveiled". Submariners World. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
• "Daphné the Doomed". Time. 16 March 1970. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
• "Historique du sous-marin Eurydice" (in French). Net-Marine. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
• "La Flotte de guerre française en 1968" (in French). Net-Marine. Retrieved 2008-03-08.

External links

• "La Tragédie de La Minerve" (in French). Retrieved 2019-07-16.