Doris (S643)''', the third French Navy submarine of the name, was one of eleven of the of "high-performance submarines.""Les sous-marins à hautes performances de 800 tonnes du type Daphné" (in French), netmarine.net Accessed 6 May 2023 She was in commission from 1964 to 1994.
Construction, trials, and commissioning Keel-laying and launchDoris was laid down by Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales at Cherbourg, France, on 1 September 1958. She was Launched on 14 May 1960 with a substantial crowd in attendance, including Minister of the Armed Forces Pierre Messmer, Ministerial Delegate for the Navy Guillaume Le Bigot, and the widow of the commanding officer of the first , lost along with his entire crew when a German U-boat sank his submarine in 1940.Sous-Marins Français Disparus & Accidents: Sous-Marin Doris III (in French) Accessed 6 May 2023
1961 On 2 August 1961, Doris put to sea for the first time, leaving Cherbourg to begin lengthy sea trials and testing which lasted for over three years. In September 1961, she again got underway from Cherbourg, called at Lorient Submarine Base in Lorient, France, on 13 September to bring aboard a new commanding officer, and then arrived at Brest, France, on 16 September. She then returned to Cherbourg, but departed again to make a port call at Bordeaux, France, from 13 to 16 October 1961 before again returning to Cherbourg.
1962 After a visit by the Higher Test Commission, Doris departed Cherbourg on 2 June 1962 bound for Toulon, France. She made a cruise from Toulon from 2 to 19 July 1962. On 31 July 1962, she departed Toulon in company with her sister ships and , the submarine , and the submarine tender Gustave Zédé for a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean during which they called at İzmir, Turkey, from 13 to 17 August; Mykonos, a Greek island in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, on 19 August; Piraeus, Greece, from 20 to 24 August; and Corfu from 25 to 26 August before returning to Toulon on 3 September 1962.
A series of cruises from Toulon followed. Doris returned from the first of them on 12 October 1962, the second on 12 November, and the third on 17 November 1962. She made her final cruise from Toulon of 1962 from 26 November to 1 December.
1963Doris continued her outings from Toulon in 1963, making the first two from 5 to 14 and the second from 21 to 26 January. During herthird cruise, she conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea off Provence, then made a port call at Valencia, Spain, from 14 to 18 February 1963 before her return to Toulon on 23 February. She was at sea again from 25 February to 2 March 1963, then made another cruise from Toulon, returning on 1 April 1963. Doris next proceeded from Toulon to Lorient, which she reached on 12 April 1963. She put to sea from Lorient on 17 April 1963, then returned. On 14 May 1963, she arrived at Liverpool, England, then returned to Lorient on 19 May. She then proceeded to Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria, where she arrived on May 27, 1963, before returning to Toulon.Doris next departed Toulon on 5 July 1963. After her return, she took aboard a new commanding officer on 20 July 1963, then began another cruise from Toulon on 22 July. She continued her schedule of cruises from Toulon, making her next one from 2 to 13 September 1963, followed by one which saw her return to Toulon on 5 October 1963. She got underway again on 28 October 1963 bound for Genoa, Italy, where she called from 31 October to 4 November 1963 before heading back to Toulon. She rounded out her 1963 activities with two more cruises from Toulon, from 18 to 23 November followed by one from which she returned on 30 November.
1964 In 1964, Doris continued her operations from Toulon, departing on 12 January, making another cruise from 20 to 25 January 1964, and yet another which she concluded on 31 January 1964. She made a visit to Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands that began on 7 February 1964, a cruise from Toulon that lasted from 24 to 27 March 1964, and arrived in Livorno, Italy, on 5 April 1964, and got underway from Toulon on 13 April and again on 11 May 1964. During a cruise from Toulon that began on 18 April, she took part in the "Fair Game II" exercise. After completing another cruise that began on 25 May 1964, she put to sea from Toulon on 1 June 1964 to take part in Operation Tramontane between Provence and the Balearic Islands, then called at Barcelona, Spain, from 11 to 16 June before proceeding to Toulon. She then made another cruise from Toulon that ended on 21 August 1964. The French Navy finally deemed Doris′s pre-acceptance trials complete, and on 26 August 1964 she was commissioned.
Commissioned serviceDoris spent her entire career based at Toulon, France, as a unit of the Mediterranean Submarine Squadron. Upon commissioning, she was assigned to the 1st Submarine Squadron.
1964–1965Doris returned to Toulon from her first post-commissioning cruise on 28 August and from her second on 4 September 1964. A new commanding officer reported aboard on 12 September. She departed Toulon for her next cruise on 3 October 1964.
On 12 October 1964, Doris got underway from Toulon to take part in the "Lavezzi Deux" exercise between 6 and 23 October. Her next cruise began on 19 October, and she also put to sea from Toulon 25 October, returning on 26 October. On 19 November 1964, Doris departed Toulon to participate with and her sister ship in an interallied exercise off Sardinia from 23 November to 2 December 1964. The two submarines then called at Civitavecchia, Italy, from 2 to 6 December 1964 before returning to Toulon. Doriss activities for 1964 ended with a cruise from Toulon that she completed on 11 December 1964.Doris began her operations in 1965 by departing Toulon in company with her sister ship on 18 January. The two submarines made a stop at Nice, France, from 20 to 21 January before arriving at Toulon on 22 January. Doris then made a cruise from Toulon from 24 January to 6 February 1965, and on 8 March 1965 got back underway to take part in the "Cartha" cruise in the Western Mediterranean and make a port call at Cartagena, Spain, before she returned to Toulon on 27 March 1965. On 5 April 1965, she began a major refit at Toulon.
1966 On 1 February 1966, Doris′s refit was completed. She departed Toulon on 7 February and again on 14 February for post-refit trials.
With her trials complete, Doris resumed operations from Toulon. She made her first post-refit cruise from 21 to 26 February 1966, her second from 4 to 19 March, and her third from 25 to 29 April 1966. She got underway again on 3 May 1966 for trials and individual training and called at Ajaccio, France, from 7 to 9 May before returning to Toulon on 12 May 1966. She participated in the 1966 "Paso Doble" summer cruise from 13 June to 23 July, during which she took part in the "Fado" exercise. She called at Lisbon, Portugal, from 29 June to 4 July; at Cádiz, Spain, from 6 to 10 July; and at Málaga, Spain, from 10 to 13 July before returning to Toulon on 23 July 1966.
After a new commanding officer took command on 6 August 1966, Doris made two cruises from Toulon, the first from 22 August to 7 September 1966, followed by another she completed on 24 September. She next departed Toulon on 12 November 1966 for various exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. After a port call at Palermo, Italy, planned for 14 to 17 November was cancelled, took part with the French Mediterranean Squadron in Operation Émaux, which was scheduled for 15 November to 20 December 1966. On 25 November 1966 at approximately 19:30, she was involved in a violent collision with the Soviet tanker Stanislav when she came to periscope depth in the Mediterranean Sea off Toulon. The collision did not cause any injuries, but Doris suffered significant damage, causing the misalignment of her No. 11 and No. 12 torpedo tubes and leaks in her port aft ballast tank and at her steering rod mechanism. She returned to Toulon on 27 November 1966.
1967–1969 After completing repairs, Doris returned to sea on 9 January 1967 for a cruise from Toulon that lasted until 13 January. Her next cruise was from 16 to 28 January 1967. She then participated in parts of Operation Camées, which took place in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean from 30 January to 7 March 1967, putting to sea from Toulon on 1 February and then getting underway from Toulon a second time and returning on 11 March 1967. She then made a cruise from that began on 9 April 1967. After a new commanding officer reported aboard on 6 May 1967, she spent the rest of 1967 taking part in Exercise "Exmix", Exercise "Fair Game Alpha/Charlie", and other exercises.
In 1968, Doris conducted a cruise from which she returned on 29 April, and another from 6 to 11 May. She later departed Toulon for training along the coast of Provence and in the Mediterranean Sea and made a port call at Livorno, Italy, from 10 to 14 September before returning to Toulon on 15 September 1968. During September 1968 she also conducted training with navalcommandos of the 2nd Company of the Fusiliers Marins Commandos Group. On 28 October 1968, she departed Toulon for trials, and she visited Malta from 4 to 6 November 1968 with her sister ship , returning to Toulon on 9 November. She carried out a safety pellet release test on 25 November 1968 which took place without problems, the release occurring four seconds after the order to conduct it. A new commanding officer took command of Doris on 27 November 1968.Doris got underway off from Toulon on 20 October 1969 for exercises, then returned on 26 October. She then began a major refit at Toulon.
1970–1973 After completion of her refit in early 1970, Doris left Toulon on 1 June 1970 for exercises. She visited Athens, Greece, from 18 to 23 June, then returned to Toulon on 28 June. She again departed Toulon on 27 July 1970 to conduct a series of trials on the coast of Provence, also calling at Port Vendres from 31 July to 3 August before returning to Toulon on 7 August 1970. After another change of command on 2 October, she took part in the Franco-Spanish "Murcia" exercise in the Mediterranean Sea from 23 to 29 October 1970.
On 11 January 1971 Doris and the submarine got underway from Toulon for various trials on the coast of Provence. They returned on 16 January. On 1 February 1971, Doris and the submarine for a similar cruise various trials and exercises on the coast of Provence. They returned on 5 February 1971. Doris later conducted exercises in the Corsica area until 19 May 19cruise 71, when she began a port call at Livorno, Italy, that lasted until 22 May. She returned to Toulon on 29 May 1971. On 19 June she took part in a fleet review attended by President of France Georges Pompidou.Doris departed Toulon on 29 July 1971 for exercises, during which she visited Heraklion, Greece, from 24 to 29 August 1971. From 7 to 9 October and again from 18 to 23 October 1971, Doris and the submarine conducted various trials and exercises together. Doris again conducted various trials from 26 to 29 October 1971, and she carried out various trials off Provence from 12 to 22 December 1971.
From 3 to 5 January 1972, Doris and Junon carried out exercises together. Doris and Morse conducted a command course at sea together from 14 to 18 February 1972, and Doris conducted another command course at sea from 21 to 26 February. She carried out exercises from 28 February to 3 March 1972. She later took part with the Mediterranean Squadron in Operation Dawn Patrol until 14 May 1972, when she resumed her individual training. She and Junon visited Naples, Italy, from 17 to 20 May 1972 before returning to Toulon on 22 May. A new commanding officer took command on 23 May.Doris began a major overhaul at Toulon at the beginning of 1973 which lasted into 1974.
1974–1977