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Wreck of French Submarine Le Tonnant, Missing Since 1942 After American Attack, Identified Off Cádiz on November 17, 2025 With Support From Logbooks and Sonar Images
After 83 years missing, the French submarine Le Tonnant, lost in 1942, was located on November 17, 2025, off the coast of Cádiz, Spain, ending a naval mystery with historical and technical impact for underwater archaeology.
The submarine Le Tonnant disappeared in 1942 after being subjected to a surprise attack by American forces while returning from a mission, and its whereabouts were unknown for more than eight decades in the eastern Atlantic.
The wreckage was found on November 17, 2025, by a team led by Erwan L’Hér, a professor and head of the intensive care unit at Brest University Hospital, according to information from the French newspaper Le Télégramme. It had been missing for 83 years: a French submarine was found off the coast of Spain.
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At the time of its disappearance, Le Tonnant had undergone a complete overhaul in Casablanca, Morocco, including hull inspection and revitalization, before starting the return journey in waters controlled by Allied forces.
During this journey, the submarine came under American attack, being forced to dive to a critical depth with around thirty sailors aboard, from a total crew of 72 men.
Logbook Redefined the Search Area
In 2024, Erwan L’Hér had already conducted a first attempt to locate the submarine without success, which led to the continuation of the investigation in naval archives and locations connected to the crew.
The breakthrough occurred during a visit to the naval base in Cádiz, where L’Hér explored areas where the sailors of Le Tonnant were interned and met with the families of crew members, gathering historical documents.
Among these materials were the captain’s logbooks, which the researcher considered crucial as they allowed for a redefinition of the search area based on the theoretical exact point of sinking.
Based on these coordinates, images obtained by sonar used by divers confirmed the presence of the sunken hull, ending a mystery that spanned generations and remained officially unanswered.
The location of Le Tonnant enhances the collection of identified military wrecks in the region and reinforces the role of historical records in resolving naval disappearances of the 20th century.
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