The French Submarine "Surcouf"
Artist: Michel Guyot
Original painting is gouache on paper measuring approx 16" x 12" (40cm x 30cm) 
Subject: French submarine Surcouf 

Built very secretly and launched at Cherbourg Arsenal on November 18^th, 1929, the submarine named “Surcouf” was a new type of submarine cruiser, the biggest at the time (with a 110-m length and 2880 tons surface displacement). The ship included a gun turret with two 203-mm cannons, and a shelter for an hydroplane. The construction was however difficult, and the reliability was controversial, as a result the submarine stayed a unique model.

In 1940, the “Surcouf” joined the “Forces Navales Françaises Libres”, and became their symbol, but tragically disappeared in the Caribbean Sea on February 19^th, 1942. According to the official thesis, there was a collision with an American cargo, but an investigation held by the US Navy Court of Inquiry revealed later that the submarine was - by mistake - attacked and sunk by US Air Force bomber aircraft.

A monument in memory of the lost crew was built in the naval port of Cherbourg.

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