The Redoutable was the lead vessel of the French Redoutable-class submarines, launched in 1928 at Cherbourg, France. As a "grand cruise" submarine, it measured 92.3 meters (302 feet 10 inches) in length, with a beam of 8.2 meters (26 feet 11 inches) and a draught of 4.9 meters (16 feet 1 inch). Its design allowed it to dive up to 80 meters (260 feet). Displacing 1,572 tonnes on the surface and 2,082 tonnes submerged, the vessel was powered on the surface by two 6,000 hp diesel engines built by Sulzer, enabling speeds of approximately 10 knots (19 km/h) on the surface, while submerged, it could reach around 10 knots using electrical propulsion. The submarine's operational range was extensive, with a surfaced range of 10,000 nautical miles at 10 knots and 14,000 nautical miles at 7 knots, and a submerged range of 100 nautical miles at 5 knots. Redoutable was heavily armed for its class, equipped with eleven torpedo tubes: four fixed 550 mm tubes at the bow, three 550 mm tubes on an orientable platform behind the conning tower, and a stern platform with two 550 mm and two 400 mm tubes. Its torpedoes, propelled at 44 knots, were designed to target large ships with the 550 mm torpedoes and smaller vessels with the 400 mm ones. Additionally, it mounted a 100 mm deck gun and from 1929, dual 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns. The vessel boasted a rapid diving capability, submerging in 30 to 40 seconds, and was noted for its good handling at sea, despite noisiness from its motors. Constructed at the Arsenal de Cherbourg, Redoutable was laid down on 1 July 1925, launched on 24 February 1928, and commissioned on 10 July 1931. Its service history included patrols during the early stages of World War II, such as surveillance missions to the Azores and patrols along the Tunisian coast. Notably, the submarine was scuttled by the French on 27 November 1942 at Toulon to prevent capture by the Germans. It was later refloated by the Italians in 1943 but was ultimately sunk by Allied bombs on 11 March 1944. Redoutable remains a significant example of French naval engineering and the strategic evolution of submarines in the interwar period.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.