Protefs-class submarine

The Protefs class (referred to as the Proteus class in some sources) was a group of submarines built for the Hellenic Navy in the late 1920s. The boats were built to a Loire-Simonot design in France and were larger than the preceding Katsonis class built by a different French company.

Class overview
NameProtefs class
BuildersChantiers de la Loire shipyard[1]
Operators Hellenic Navy
Preceded byKatsonis
Built1928–1929
In commission1929–1945[1]
Completed4[1]
Lost3
Retired1
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • surfaced: 750 tons;
  • submerged: 960 tons
Length68.6 m (225 ft)
Beam5.73 m (18.8 ft)
Draft4.18 m (13.7 ft)
Propulsion
  • two-shaft Sulzer diesel engines;
  • two electric engine motors;
  • 1420bhp, 1,200 shp[1]
Speed
  • surfaced: 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
  • submerged: 9.5 kn (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph)[1]
Range3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) surfaced @ 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)[1]
Endurance100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) submerged @ 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)[1]
Test depth260 ft (80 m)[1]
Complement41
Armament
  • 6 × 21-inch (533 mm) internal bow T/T,
  • 2 × 21-inch (533 mm) Internal stern T/T;
  • 1 × 100 mm gun, 1 x 3pdr AA gun

Four boats were built, all were named after sea gods from Greek mythology.

Ship Builder Launched Fate
Protefs (Y3) Πρωτεύς AC de la Loire 24 October 1927 sunk 19 December 1940, rammed by Italian torpedo boat Antares off Valona, Albania
Nirefs (Y4) Νηρεύς AC de la Loire December 1927 Decommissioned 1945
Triton (Y5) Τρίτων) AC de la Loire 4 April 1928 sunk 16 November 1942 by German patrol boat UJ2102 near Euboea
Glafkos (Y6) Γλαύκος Chantiers Navales Français Blainville 1928 Lost 4 April 1942

The three boats which survived the fall of Greece in 1941 served under overall Royal Navy control in the Eastern Mediterranean.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 405. ISBN 0-87021-907-3. OCLC 12119866.

Bibliography

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  • Caruana, Joseph (2012). "Emergency Victualling of Malta During WWII". Warship International. LXIX (4): 357–364. ISSN 0043-0374.
  • Mühlthaler, Erich (1998). "Question 51/97". Warship International. XXXV (4): 419–420. ISSN 0043-0374.