As with all French submarines of this period, the midships torpedo tubes were fitted externally in trainable mounts.

Laid down at Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire in Saint-Nazaire, France, on 28 November 1923[1] with the pennant number Q123, Sirène was launched on 6 August 1925.

The threat of Italian entry into the war increased thereafter, and in response the French on 26 May began stationing two Toulon-based submarines — Sirène among them — on a rotating basis at Îles d'Hyères, from which they could reach defensive patrol areas off Nice and Saint-Tropez within two hours.

From 10 to 19 June, Sirène and Galatée took turns maintaining a defensive patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Bastia and Alistro on the east coast of Corsica.

When the attack on Mers-el-Kébir — in which a British Royal Navy squadron attacked a French Navy squadron moored at the naval base at Mers El Kébir near Oran on the coast of Algeria on 3 July 1940 — took place, she was a part of Group B at Toulon along with Céres, Pallas, and the submarines Iris, Vénus, and La Sultane.

[2] In response to the British attack, Group B received orders to form a patrol line from south of Ayre Island to the coast of Algeria between Ténès and Dellys with 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) between submarines, then make port at Oran.

[2] With tensions with the United Kingdom still high, Sirène, Galatée, La Sultane, and the submarines Diamant and Perle anchored on alert at Vignettes on 9 July 1940.

[2] Unable get underway when Germany and Italy occupied the Free Zone (French: Zone libre) of Vichy France on 27 November 1942, Sirène was among the French vessels scuttled at Toulon to prevent their seizure by Germany when German forces entered Toulon that day.

An Italian firm, the Serra Roma Company, refloated Sirène[2] in a salvage operation that began on 16 March 1943.

[2] After the Germans refloated her, they decided on 16 May 1944 to return Sirène and Galatée to French control so that they could serve as a source of spare parts and equipment.