quote:

French cruiser sub Surcouf. A cross between a surface cruiser, and a submarine!

Surcouf was sunk on 18 February 1942 about 80 mi (70 nmi; 130 km) north of Cristóbal, Colón, while en route for Tahiti via the Panama Canal. The American freighter Thompson Lykes, steaming alone from Guantanamo Bay on what was a very dark night, reported hitting and running down a partially submerged object which scraped along her side and keel. Her lookouts heard people in the water but the freighter carried on its course without stopping, as they thought that they had struck a German U-boat, though cries for help were heard in English. A signal was sent to Panama describing the incident. The loss of Surcouf was announced by the Free French Headquarters in London on 18 April 1942.

Inquiries into the incident were haphazard and late, while a later French inquiry supported the idea that the sinking had been due to "friendly fire"; this conclusion was supported by Rear Admiral Auphan in his book The French Navy in World War II in which he states: "for reasons which appear to have been primarily political, she was rammed at night in the Caribbean by an American freighter." Charles de Gaulle stated in his memoirs that Surcouf "had sunk with all hands".
The wreck lies 3,000 m (9,800 ft) deep at 10°40′N 79°32′WCoordinates: 10°40′N 79°32′W.
There is a memorial to Surcouf in Cherbourg harbor.


Name: Surcouf
Namesake: Robert Surcouf
Ordered: December 1927
Launched: 18 October 1929
Commissioned: May 1934
Struck: 6 December 1943
Identification: Pennant number: N N 3
Fate: Sunk, 18 February 1942

General characteristics
Type: Cruiser/Submarine
Displacement:
3,250 long tons (3,300 t) (surfaced)
4,304 long tons (4,373 t) (submerged)
2,880 long tons (2,930 t) (dead)

Length:
110 m (361 ft)

Beam:
9 m (29 ft 6 in)

Draft:
7.25 m (23 ft 9 in)

Installed power:
7,600 hp (5,700 kW) (surfaced)
3,400 hp (2,500 kW) (submerged)

Propulsion:
2 × Sulzer diesel engines (surfaced)
2 × electric motors (submerged)
2 × screws

Speed:
18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (surfaced)
10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (submerged)

Range:
Surfaced:
18,500 km (10,000 nmi; 11,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
12,600 km (6,800 nmi; 7,800 mi) at 13.5 kn (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Submerged:
130 km (70 nmi; 81 mi) at 4.5 kn (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph)
110 km (59 nmi; 68 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)

Endurance: 90 days

Test depth: 80 m (260 ft)

Boats & landing craft carried:
1 × motorboat in watertight deck well

Capacity: 280 long tons (280 t)

Complement: 8 officers and 110 men

Armament:
2 × 203 mm (8 in) guns (1x2)
2 × 37 mm (1.46 in) anti-aircraft guns (2x1)
4 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) anti-aircraft machine guns (2x2)
8 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (14 torpedoes)
4 × 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes (8 torpedoes)

Aircraft carried:
1 × Besson MB.411 floatplane

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ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.

How did it get through the water with the holes in the turret thing ?

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Surcouf was designed as an "underwater cruiser", intended to seek and engage in surface combat.[1] For reconnaissance, she carried a Besson MB.411 observation floatplane in a hangar built abaft of the conning tower; for combat, she was armed with eight 550 mm (22 in) and four 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes and twin 203 mm (8 in) guns in a pressure-tight turret forward of the conning tower. The guns were fed from a magazine holding 60 rounds and controlled by a director with a 5 m (16 ft) rangefinder, mounted high enough to view a 11 km (5.9 nmi; 6.8 mi) horizon, and able to fire within three minutes after surfacing.[2] Using her periscopes to direct the fire of her main guns, Surcouf could increase this range to 16 km (8.6 nmi; 9.9 mi); originally an elevating platform was supposed to lift lookouts 15 m (49 ft) high, but this design was abandoned quickly due to the effect of roll.[3] In theory, the Besson observation plane could be used to direct fire out to the guns' 24 mi (21 nmi; 39 km) maximum range. Anti-aircraft cannon and machine guns were mounted on the top of the hangar.

Surcouf also carried a 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) motorboat, and contained a cargo compartment with fittings to restrain 40 prisoners. The submarine's fuel tanks were very large; enough fuel for a 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) range and supplies for 90-day patrols could be carried.

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ORIGINAL: danlongman

I dunno about the Illuminati although they did control the USAAF which
historically has been pretty good at killing things be they friend or foe.

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The other flaw I see is that you have to point the ship at your target. The turret doesn't look like it can turn. Doesn't really seem worth the extra underwater drag and weight, or the added complexity.

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ORIGINAL: WBaugh

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Surcouf was designed as an "underwater cruiser", intended to seek and engage in surface combat.[1] For reconnaissance, she carried a Besson MB.411 observation floatplane in a hangar built abaft of the conning tower; for combat, she was armed with eight 550 mm (22 in) and four 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes and twin 203 mm (8 in) guns in a pressure-tight turret forward of the conning tower. The guns were fed from a magazine holding 60 rounds and controlled by a director with a 5 m (16 ft) rangefinder, mounted high enough to view a 11 km (5.9 nmi; 6.8 mi) horizon, and able to fire within three minutes after surfacing.[2] Using her periscopes to direct the fire of her main guns, Surcouf could increase this range to 16 km (8.6 nmi; 9.9 mi); originally an elevating platform was supposed to lift lookouts 15 m (49 ft) high, but this design was abandoned quickly due to the effect of roll.[3] In theory, the Besson observation plane could be used to direct fire out to the guns' 24 mi (21 nmi; 39 km) maximum range. Anti-aircraft cannon and machine guns were mounted on the top of the hangar.

Surcouf also carried a 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) motorboat, and contained a cargo compartment with fittings to restrain 40 prisoners. The submarine's fuel tanks were very large; enough fuel for a 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) range and supplies for 90-day patrols could be carried.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf

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Pre sonar for sure.