Beyond The Sprues
Modelling => Group and Themed Builds => Canadian GB => Topic started by: raafif on August 20, 2026, 07:12:27 AM
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WARNING :- some meddling with History for this story.
1940 – after seven years patrolling the oceans the prototype French submarine ‘Surcouf’ was in dock waiting for the engineers to fix their engines & other items – this was taking a long time. When the Germans invaded France their advance was unexpectedly fast forcing the Surcouf’s crew to hurriedly re-assemble one engine and depart across the Channel to Britain forthwith. Despite the efforts of the Royal Navy & dockyards it took much to get her back in shape including changing fuel-pipe fittings to Imperial sizes so she could be refuelled in Britain & later, America.
Once this was done she was to resume patrolling but she didn’t fit into any R.N. operational plans so she resumed solitary patrols.
Eventually needing further expensive repairs to her unusual machinery, she was sent to the Groton, Connecticut boatyards in America who also spent much manpower & materials to fix her. Her on again / off again service made her an unwelcome drain on the war effort so a plan was hatched to get rid of her. She was posted to go to French Polynesia as a harbour defence vessel to protect the islands against the Japanese.
However, in 1941, General de Gaulle wanted to capture the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon off the south coast of Newfoundland as the governor there was known to be a Vichy sympathiser & there was a fear that German U-boats could use it for information, weather reports & possibly some resupplying.
The secret French operation went ahead keeping Britain, America & Canada in ignorance – it was successful, but angered everyone else.
Now needing some more repairs, and definitely unwelcome in Groton, Connecticut, Surcouf was handed off to Canadian authorities. Lacking the means to carry out the many new repairs required, Canada accepted Surcouf as a harbour defence vessel in Halifax for the rest of the war.
W.W.2 continued into 1943 – pending the long-expected Allied invasion some French people in the north started to think that maybe the Vichy government wasn’t too bad – as the Germans tended to leave policing to local police & militia, the southerners appeared to have more freedoms. This was encouraged by Spain’s Franco helping the people in Vichy France with food & other supplies.
This situation meant that after the withdrawal of German troops from France in early 1944 to Belgium & Holland but mainly to bolster the Eastern Front, French federal elections resulted in fully three-quarters of the populace voting for a majority Vichy government – Britain was against it all but and wiped their hands of any activity in France sticking to helping Belguim & Holland.
So where does that leave Surcouf ?