German ground forces advanced into France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg on 10 May 1940, beginning the Battle of France, and Italy declared war on France on 10 June 1940 and joined the invasion. By 15 June 1940, Amphitrite was at Brest, France. As German ground forces approached Brest on 18 June 1940, all French ships received orders at 18:00 to evacuate the port, with those unable to get underway ordered to scuttle themselves. At 18:30, the submarine tenderJules Verne and 13 submarines, including Amphitrite, got underway from Brest bound for Casablanca, French Morocco, which they reached on 23 June 1940.
The Battle of France ended in France's defeat and armisticeswith Germany on 22 June 1940 and with Italy on 24 June. When the armistices both went into effect on 25 June 1940, Amphitrite was at Casablanca, still in the 18th Submarine Division and still home-ported at Oran.[1]
Vichy France
After France's surrender, Amphitrite served in the naval forces of Vichy France. The attack on Mers-el-Kébir — in which a British Royal Navysquadron attacked a French Navy squadron moored at the naval base at Mers El Kébir on the coast of Algeria near Oran — took place on 3 July 1940, and that day Amphitrite and her sister ships Amazone and Méduse put to sea to establish a defensive patrol line along a 20-nautical-mile (37 km; 23 mi) radius from Casablanca.[1] On 13 July 1940, Amphitrite and Méduse again got underway from Casablanca, this time with the submarine Calypso, to relieve the submarines Casabianca, Poncelet, and Sfax on the patrol line 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) from Casablanca.[1]
On 11 and 12 September 1940, Amphitrite, Amazone, and their sister ships Antiope and Sibylle covered Force Y, a French Navy force consisting of three cruisers and three destroyers, as it arrived at Casablanca from Toulon, refueled, and then resumed its voyage to French West Africa.[1]
On 23 September 1940, British and Free French forces began Operation Menace, an attack on Vichy French forces at Dakar in Senegal. On 24 September 1940, Amphitrite, Amazone, Antiope, and Sibylle received orders to deploy to French West Africa.[1] Each of the submarines departed Casablanca as she became ready for the deployment.[1]Amphitrite got underway from Casablanca on 25 September 1940,[1] the day Operation Menace ended in the withdrawal of the British and Free French forces from Dakar. She arrived at Dakar on 2 October 1940[1] to reinforce its defenses. She arrived with a broken muffler, forcing her to operate on only one diesel engine for the next month and a half.[1] By 13 October 1940 she was part of the 13th Submarine Division along with Méduse and the submarine Thétis.[1]
Amphitrite departed Dakar on 2 January 1941 and, after a stop at Casablanca from 15 to 27 January 1941, proceeded to Toulon.[1] She was disarmed and placed under guard in an unfueled status at Toulon on 6 February 1941[1] in accordance with the June 1940 armistice.
Amphitrite was reactivated in January 1942.[1] She arrived at Dakar with Amazone and Sybille on 23 February 1942.[1] As of 1 November 1942, she was part of the 16th Submarine Division, based at Dakar, with Amazone, Antiope, Sibylle, and the submarine Perle.[1]
Fighting between Allied and Vichy French forces in French North Africa ended on 11 November 1942, and French forces in Africa switched to the Allied side, joining the forces of Free France. The Allies[2] refloated Amphitrite on 12 March 1943.[1] She was placed in "special reserve" at Casablanca but never repaired.[1] She was condemned on 26 March 1946[1] and stricken from the navy list in May 1946.[2]
Moulin, Jean (2006). Les sous-marins français en images (in French). Rennes: Marines Éditions. pp. 28–29. ISBN2-915379-40-8..
Roberts, John (1980). "France". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 255–279. ISBN0-8317-0303-2.
