CAPT Hallett has apparently researched diligently for information on the loss of the French submarine SURCOUF, so it is all the more regrettable that he was able to provide so few source references for his articles in THE SUBMARINE REVIEW. He seems to have made a strong case that the boat might not have been capable of reaching either of the positions where most published sources postulate that she was sunk: either rammed by the SS THOMPSON LYKES on 18 February 1942 or bombed by an airplane the next day. However, his conclusion that SURCOUF sneaked into Martinique and remained there undetected until leaving there for Nazi-occupied France under escort of the U-69 in late May seems to be based largely on speculation.
If SURCOUF in fact could not have reached the point where THOMPSON LYKES unquestionably collided with something, I would like to offer a simpler hypothesis (based on pure speculation on my part) for her loss: that Capt. Blaison, knowing that he was about to enter waters where his ungainly and ill-manned ship would be subject to attack from either enemy U-boats or friendly Allied ships and aircraft, decided to attempt a trim dive, lost depth control, and went to the bottom somewhere between Bennuda and Panama.
