What is that sub? (French submarine Casabianca)

Much to the exasperation of my other half, I always seem to find a sub while on holiday! (I think Steve J has a similar problem!)

So where is it and what is it?

David

Has everyone given up!?

(Answer on Saturday)

David

Quite a puzzle David! That looks like an American .50 cal machine gun fitted to the fore end stand, the periscopes seem not to have any shrouds though perhaps have been removed.

Where? Looks like a Mediterranean location to me, Italian style lamp posts along the pavement and the building in the background, European cars.

???????????

Anyway I'm sure that you enjoyed the holiday!

Trevor

I have no idea. It looks older than the Gato/Balao style because of the shears, but having a platform before the sail is WWII style. Narwhal class? Although this photo looks smaller than that.
The sail also looks a little like a German sub, but not completely again that platform in the front.
I am at a loss for suggestions.

Several of my younger years were spent /misspent enjoying Mediterranean living and I've had another long look at the details in the photo and compared them with places that I've been and I now think that those are French Colonial period style lamp posts not Italian and the roof line looks Tuscan, so I reckon you enjoyed a visit to Corsica, the sub has got to be French though what class I do not know............

But a little Google-ing says that this sub Casabianca and is to be found at Bastia.

Nice place for a holiday, great food and wine!!

Trevor

Very good both!!

(Trevor, I'm impressed that you got the location by identifying French Colonial era lamp posts!)

It is indeed the Casabianca (Not Casablanca interestingly)

We got off the bus on our first morning and there it was, the superstructure of a sub.















And she had a interesting story to tell when I looked her up on the net. Her brave and resourceful captain and crew secretly managed to get her fueled and armed  and then sneaked the sub out of Toulon when German forces tried to impound all Vichy  French naval assets.

She was then used to carry men and materials to Corsica to supply the Maquis resistance movement. On one of her first trips to Corsica she carried men from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (The precursor to the CIA)

They were all very successful and Corsica became the first part of France to become liberated from Italian and German occupation in 1943.

And yes it was a very nice holiday direct by Eurostar train to Marseille and then 3 days in Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi also by train.

More information here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Casabianca_%28Q183%29


http://ww2today.com/30th-july-1943-the-covert-supply-mission-of-the-casabianca-is-discovered


http://theleansubmariner.com/2012/11/27/escape-of-the-casabianca/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142150/

Thank you. That is a nice bit of history, I did not know about. It was also nice brain teaser.