La Tragédie du sous-marin Pluviôse

On May 26, 1910, off the coast of Calais, the submarine Pluviôse, the flagship of the French Navy, hit the liner Pas-de-Calais, which was making its daily connection to Dover. In a few minutes, the submersible sank in 17 meters of water. The authorities, the rescuers, and the families thought that there was still time to save the 27 crew members. Operations began immediately, the press would provide daily information, providing details of the refloating. But fate was relentless and nothing was spared the rescuers: breakages, breakdowns, bad weather, difficulties related to the Calais channel. And it was several weeks later that the hull was finally brought to the surface. 27 bodies were removed from the submarine, the emotion was immense.

A national funeral in tribute to the victims was decreed by the government on June 22, 1910. The eyes of the whole world turned to the port of Calais. But questions remain. Was this disaster avoidable? Why did it take nearly four weeks to refloat the Pluviôse? Who were the twenty-seven sailors who tragically perished in the sinking of the submarine? Who were the rescuers – doctors, nurses, divers, sailors – who risked their lives to take part in these operations? And the families? What was their suffering? And finally, what is the story of the memorial to the “Sailors of the Pluviôse” inaugurated on June 22, 1913 in Calais?

In this abundantly illustrated work, Luc Corlouër and Roland Biguenet explore these questions using numerous rare and unpublished documents, shedding new light on this tragic event, forgotten today, yet it was a high point in maritime history.