Abandoned families

After the solemn ceremony attended by the head of state,

the families never received any information about the Minerve.

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On the causes of the tragedy

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The ‘Minerve’ file was automatically classified as ‘Secret Défense’ (Defence Secret), as is always the case when there is a military accident.

In the name of this defence secret, the only way to get an idea of what may have happened is to consult two issues of the maritime magazine, published under the control of the French Navy, which you can download (in French only) on this page. This publication was confidential and very few families were aware of it. Even journalists were unaware of it.

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On the administrative level

 

On this front, there were no problems. The sailors were officially declared missing by a court ruling on 22 March 1968, which can be considered swift. This allowed the families to avoid the administrative hassles often associated with disappearances.

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The legitimate children of the sailors were entitled to an education allowance, but not to the status of wards of the nation. Children born out of wedlock, at least two of them, were not entitled to anything.

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Memorial plaques on monuments

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Most other requests for inclusion on war memorials were rejected because they were not ‘Died for France’.

It is only since the Karachi attack on 8 May 2022 that the names of those who died in the service of France can appear on war memorials. However, the law authorising this is not retroactive and does not cover 1968.

Since 2013, such requests could be successful, but it is still up to the families to take the necessary steps.

After 1970 and the disappearance of the Eurydice, two memorial stones were erected in memory of the crews of the four submarines lost off the Var coast: the SM2326, the Sybille, the Minerve and the Eurydice. One is in the church of Ramatuelle, the other in the garden of the Camarat semaphore station.

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It was not until 2009 and the inauguration of the National Submariners‘ Monument in Toulon that all the crew members had their names engraved on a monument. See HERE

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Since the discovery of the wreck, the situation has been resolved, as you can see by going to the ’Commemorations" page.