French submarine Orion

The French submarine Orion was a submarine built for the French Navy between 1928 and 1931. Ordered in December 1927, it was laid down in July 1929, launched in April 1931 and commissioned in July 1932. On 3 July 1940, it was seized by the British while in Portsmouth. Orion was stricken in April 1943 and dismantled for spare parts.

Design
67 m long, with a beam of 6.2 m and a draught of 4.4 m, Orion-class submarines could dive up to 80 m. The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 558 t and a submerged displacement of 787 t. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 1400 hp diesel motors and two 1000 hp electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 9 kn while submerged and 14 kn on the surface. Their surfaced range was 4000 nmi at 10 kn with a submerged range of 82 nmi at 5 kn.