A FRENCH submarine scuttled during the Second World War has finally been found in the waters off Cadiz, ending a search that spanned more than 80 years.
The wreck of Le Tonnant was discovered by a Franco-Spanish team of researchers and divers from the University of West Brittany and the University of Cadiz, who said the find concluded a quest that had puzzled historians for nearly a century.
Le Tonnant disappeared during the 1942 Allied landings in North Africa. While researchers knew it must lie somewhere on the seabed between Spain and Morocco, its precise location remained a mystery.
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The research team, led by oceanographer Erwan L’Her, initially sifted through extensive archival documents for clues, though historical records proved inconsistent.
A series of exploratory dives, including in the Guadalquivir estuary, were also unsuccessful due to poor visibility.
But a breakthrough came when Cadiz researchers examined decades-old logbooks and naval documents, allowing them to narrow the search to a zone off Cadiz.
The scientists employed advanced multibeam sonar to scan the seabed, coming across a wreck that closely aligned with the known specifications for Le Tonnant.
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Experts say the evidence is now strong enough to confirm the submarine’s identity.
Sonar images reveal its distinct features, with the rear section partially buried in the sediment about six metres below the seafloor.
Le Tonnant is believed to have been deliberately scuttled by its French crew during Operation Torch, the large-scale Allied invasion of French-controlled Morocco and Algeria in November 1942.
After France’s surrender to Nazi Germany in 1940, the resulting Vichy France regime sought to maintain favour with Hitler, hoping to secure more lenient terms in any eventual peace settlement.
Historians have often described Vichy France as a Nazi puppet state, and the Allies targeted its North African colonies to weaken its control.
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At the time, France had the world’s largest submarine fleet, but several vessels, including Le Tonnant, were docked and unprepared for immediate combat when the assault began on November 8.
US forces launched their onslaught on the Moroccan and Algerian coasts early in the morning.
Le Tonnant initially engaged the attackers but suffered heavy damage and submerged in an attempt to escape.
Realising the submarine was beyond repair, the crew deliberately sank it off the coast of Cadiz to prevent its technology from falling into enemy hands.
The submarine would remain hidden in its underwater grave for eight decades.
Following the landmark discovery, researchers said the submarine would be preserved as an underwater historical site and a monument to one of the Second World War’s most overlooked episodes.
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