French minesweeper Surprise

History
France
Name	Surprise
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient
Launched	17 June 1939
Out of service	8 November 1942
Fate	Sunk by gunfire
General characteristics
Type	Chamois-class aviso
Displacement	647 tonnes (637 long tons) standard; 900 tonnes (886 long tons) full;
Length	78.30 m (256 ft 11 in) o/a; 73.81 m (242 ft 2 in) p/p;
Beam	8.70 m (28 ft 7 in)
Draught	3.28 m (10 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	2 × Sulzer diesel engines, 4,600 hp (3,430 kW), 2 shafts
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range	10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph); 5,200 nautical miles (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph); 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph); Fuel capacity: 105 tonnes;
Complement	88 in peacetime;; 104 or 106 at war;
Armament	2 × 100 mm (3.9 in) anti-aircraft (AA) guns; 8 × 13.2 mm/76 AA machine guns (1 × quadruple mounting & 2 × double mounting); 2 × anti-submarine mortars; 1 × rack for 40 depth charges;

Surprise (or La Surprise) was a World War II French Navy Chamois-class aviso. Arsenal de Lorient in Brittany launched her on 17 June 1939.^[1] and she was commissioned in March 1940.^[4]

On 8 November 1942 the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Brilliant sank Surprise by gunfire off Oran,^[1] French Algeria, during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa.

Notes[]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Masson 1969, p. 22.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Le Masson 1969, p. 16.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Le Masson 1969, p. 17.
^ "La Surprise". uboat.net. Retrieved 4 January 2020.

Sources[]

Le Masson, Henri (1969). The French Navy. Navies of the Second World War. Vol. 2. London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 9780356023847.

External links[]

"Surprise". uboat.net.

[FOOTNOTELe_Masson196922-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Masson 1969, p. 22.

[FOOTNOTELe_Masson196916-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Le Masson 1969, p. 16.

[FOOTNOTELe_Masson196917-3] Le Masson 1969, p. 17.

[4] "La Surprise". uboat.net. Retrieved 4 January 2020.

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v t Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1942
Shipwrecks	2 Nov: Empire Antelope, Empire Leopard 3 Nov: Ro-65 4 Nov: Hobbema, U-132 5 Nov: U-408 6 Nov: Chulmleigh, City of Cairo, Dekabrist 7 Nov: Donbass, Eveleen, Ha-11, USS Majaba 8 Nov: Albatros, Brestois, Boulonnais, Fougueux, Frondeur, HMS Hartland, Milan, Primauguet, Surprise, Tornade, Tramontane, HMS Walney, West Humhaw 9 Nov: HMS Cromer, USS Leedstown, Typhon 10 Nov: HMS Broke, I-15, HMS Ibis, Jean Bart, HMS Martin, Méduse 11 Nov: Hōkoku Maru, USS Joseph Hewes, HMS Unbeaten, Viceroy of India 12 Nov: USS Edward Rutledge, USS Erie, Hokkai Maru, USS Hugh L. Scott, USS Tasker H. Bliss, HMS Tynwald, U-272, U-660 13 Nov: Akatsuki, USS Atlanta, USS Barton, USS Cushing, HNLMS Isaac Sweers, USS Juneau, Kinugasa, USS Laffey, USS Monssen, U-411, Yūdachi 14 Nov: Hiei, Scillin, U-595, U-605 15 Nov: HMS Algerine, HMS Avenger, Ayanami, USS Benham, Kirishima, USS Preston, U-98, U-259, USS Walke 16 Nov: Irish Pine, U-173 17 Nov: U-331 18 Nov: Krasnoye Znamya, Tower Grange 19 Nov: USS YP-26 20 Nov: Prins Harald, Pierce Butler 21 Nov: U-517 22 Nov: Sokrushitelny 23 Nov: Benlomond 24 Nov: Hayashio 25 Nov: HMS Utmost 27 Nov: Aigle, Algérie, Bordelais, Casque, Cassard, Colbert, Commandant Teste, D'Iberville, Dunkerque, Dupleix, Foch, Foudroyant, Gerfaut, Guépard, Jean de Vienne, Kersaint, La Galissonnière, Lansquenet, Lion, Lynx, Mameluk, Marseillaise, Mogador, Panthère, Provence, Siroco, Strasbourg, Tartu, Tigre, Trombe, Valmy, Vauban, Vauquelin, Vautour, Vénus, Verdun 28 Nov: Empire Cromwell, HMS Ithuriel, Nova Scotia, Thomas T. Tucker 29 Nov: Dunedin Star 30 Nov: USS Northampton, HMCS Quinte, Takanami, Thor, Uckermark Unknown date: Sibylle, Saint Edmond, U-184
Other incidents	7 Nov: USS Thomas Stone 8 Nov: HMS Broke, USS Leedstown 9 Nov: Wandle 14 Nov: USS Electra 15 Nov: HMCS Saguenay 16 Nov: USS Electra 17 Nov: Piemonte 20 Nov: HMS Bramham 27 Nov: Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon 28 Nov: USS Alchiba 29 Nov: Akka
1941 1942 1943 October 1942 December 1942

History

France
Name	Surprise
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient^[1]
Launched	17 June 1939^[1]
Out of service	8 November 1942^[1]
Fate	Sunk by gunfire^[1]
General characteristics
Type	Chamois-class aviso
Displacement	647 tonnes (637 long tons) standard^[2] 900 tonnes (886 long tons) full^[2]
Length	78.30 m (256 ft 11 in) o/a^[2] 73.81 m (242 ft 2 in) p/p^[2]
Beam	8.70 m (28 ft 7 in)^[2]
Draught	3.28 m (10 ft 9 in)^[2]
Propulsion	2 × Sulzer diesel engines, 4,600 hp (3,430 kW), 2 shafts^[2]
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)^[2]
Range	10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) 5,200 nautical miles (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)^[3] Fuel capacity: 105 tonnes^[3]
Complement	88 in peacetime;^[3] 104 or 106 at war^[3]
Armament	2 × 100 mm (3.9 in) anti-aircraft (AA) guns 8 × 13.2 mm/76 AA machine guns (1 × quadruple mounting & 2 × double mounting) 2 × anti-submarine mortars 1 × rack for 40 depth charges^[3]