The French submarine Saphir was the lead vessel of the Saphir-class, constructed for the French Navy during the mid-1930s. Laid down in May 1926, she was launched in December 1928 and officially commissioned in September 1930. The submarine measured approximately 66 meters (216 feet 6 inches) in length, with a beam of 7.1 meters (23 feet 4 inches) and a draught of 4.3 meters (14 feet 1 inch). Designed for operational depth up to 80 meters (260 feet), the Saphir had a surfaced displacement of 761 long tons (773 metric tonnes) and a submerged displacement of 925 long tons (940 metric tonnes). Powered by two 1,300 horsepower (969 kW) Normand-Vickers diesel engines on the surface and two 1,100 horsepower (820 kW) electric motors when submerged, the vessel could reach speeds of up to 9 knots (17 km/h) underwater. Her operational range was substantial, with a maximum of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h) on the surface, and 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h). Submerged, she could travel 80 nautical miles (150 km) at 4 knots. The Saphir-class was designed for versatile combat operations, including torpedo attacks and mine laying, without surfacing. She was equipped to deploy moored contact mines containing 220 kg of TNT, which could operate at depths up to 200 meters (660 feet). These mines were mounted externally with hydrodynamic protection and could be jettisoned using compressed air. An automatic depth regulator was incorporated to flood ballast tanks after mine deployment, preventing accidental surfacing in enemy waters. During her service, Saphir was disarmed at Bizerte, Tunisia, and renamed FR 112 after her capture by Italian forces on 8 December 1942. She was later seized by German forces and scuttled at Naples, Italy, on 15 September 1943. Her design and operational history highlight her role as a versatile and strategically significant submarine in the interwar and early World War II 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.