french submarines

france possessed 92 submarines in active service when war was declared. in addition to these, nine large and powerful vessels were in various stages of construction. the flotillas of the french navy are composed of two different types of vessels: submarines defensive and submersibles. the former are intended, as their name implies, solely for coast and harbour defence; their radii of action is very small, and they are incapable of action independent of a naval base. the submersibles are like the large sea-going submarines of england and germany, and have a wide radius of action, high speed, and great offensive power.

the first naval submarine (gymn?te) 80was launched in 1888, giving to france the honour of being the first naval power to adopt the submarine torpedo-boat as a vessel of war. the pioneers of submarine construction in france were captain burgeoise, engineer brun, m. dupuy de lome, m. gustave zédé, and admiral aube. the second submarine ordered for the french navy was the gustave zédé, launched in 1893. so successful did this vessel prove that another of the same type, and named the morse, was launched at cherbourg dockyard in 1899. in the same year four vessels of a new type were laid down in the dockyard at rochefort, and named lutin, farfadet (re-named follet), korrigan, and gn?me. these, with the exception of the ill-fated lutin, are still in the active flotillas.

lutin class.

(completed 1901?2.)

follet. korrigan. gn?me.

these are the oldest submarines in the french navy, and are all of the 81defensive type. they have a displacement of about 185 tons, with electric engines for propulsion both on the surface and when submerged. their speed is 12 knots on the surface and 8 knots when submerged. their range of action is about 200 miles at 7 knots. the armament consists of one bow tube and two holders, with four 18-inch whitehead torpedoes. the complement is nine officers and men.

photos, m. bar.]

a french submarine of the harbour defence type. (top)

a french submarine of the coast defence type. (bottom)

fran?aise class.

(completed 1901?2.)

fran?aise. algérien.

these two vessels are of the improved morse type, and are intended solely for coast and harbour defence. their surface displacement is 146 tons, and they have electric engines of 350 h.-p. for both surface and submerged propulsion, giving them a speed of 12 knots and 8 knots an hour, respectively. their surface radius is about 80 miles at 8 knots. they have one bow tube and 82two holders, with four torpedoes. the complement is nine officers and men.

triton class.[3]

(completed 1901?2.)

triton. sirene. espadon. silure.

these four vessels were the first of the submersible type and were designed by m. laubeuf, who has since designed many vessels for both france and other countries (laubeuf type). they have a submerged displacement of 200 tons, and are 111 feet long and 12?? feet in beam. steam is used for surface propulsion (217 h.-p.) and electricity when submerged. their speed is 11 knots on the surface and 8 knots when submerged, with a cruising radius of 600 miles at 8 knots. they are armed with four holders fitted with 18-inch whitehead torpedoes, and have a complement of ten officers and men.

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naiade class.

(completed 1902?4.)

naiade. loutre. protée. lynx. perle. truite. castor. oursin. meduse. otarie. phoque. ludion. alose. anguille. grondin. dorade. souffleur. thon. bonite. esturgeon.

twenty small harbour defence submarines, having a displacement of about 67 tons. they have petrol and electric motors, giving them a speed of 8?? knots on the surface and 5 knots when submerged. their armament consists of one bow tube and two holders; four torpedoes are carried. their complement is six officers and men.

aigrette class.

(completed 1904.)

aigrette. cicogne.

these two vessels are submersibles of the laubeuf type, and were great 84improvements on their predecessors, the triton class. their submerged displacement is 351 tons, and their dimensions 118 × 12 × 12 feet. a triple expansion steam engine of 200 h.-p. is used for surface propulsion and an electric motor of 150 h.-p. when submerged. their speed is 10 knots and 8?? knots. their maximum surface endurance is 700 miles at 8 knots, and submerged 60 miles at 6 knots. their armament consists of one bow tube with four 18-inch torpedoes. their complement is about fifteen officers and men.

argonaute.

(completed 1905.)

a submersible designed by m. bertin (late chief constructor french navy). this vessel, which was first named omega, has a displacement of about 300 tons. she is driven by steam and electricity, and has a speed of 11 knots and 9 knots. her armament consists of two bow tubes and two holders, 85with six 18-inch whitehead torpedoes. the complement is about seventeen officers and men.

emeraude class.

(completed 1906?8.)

emeraude. saphir. opale. topaz. rubis. turquoise.

these six vessels are of the maugas type and are sea-going submarines with a submerged displacement of over 400 tons. they have petrol and electric motors of 600 h.-p. and 450 h.-p., respectively. their surface speed is 12 knots and submerged 8?? knots. their surface cruising radius is just over 1,000 miles at economical speed. their armament consists of two tubes and four holders with 8 torpedoes of the usual pattern. their complement is seventeen officers and men.

circe class.

(completed 1907.)

circe. calypso.

these two vessels are of the laubeuf type, and are improvements on the 86aigrette class. they have a submerged displacement of about 450 tons and are 160 feet in length. they are driven by a steam engine of 440 h.-p. (flash boiler and oil fuel) when on the surface, and by electric motors when submerged. their speed is 11 knots and 8 knots; and the range of action 1,000 miles. their armament comprises two tubes and four holders with eight torpedoes. the complement is 21 officers and men.

pluvi?se class.

(completed 1907?12.)

pluvi?se. niv?se. vent?se. messidor. thermidor. fructidor. brumaire. frimaire. florèal. prairial. germinal.

submarines of the laubeuf type with a submerged displacement of nearly 600 tons. all built at cherbourg. the brumaire and frimaire are driven by petrol motors of 700 h.-p. when cruising on the surface, but all the others have small steam turbines with 87a special type of flash-boiler. electric motors are used for submerged propulsion. their speed is 12 knots above and 9 knots below. the armament is seven 18-inch torpedoes. their complement is 22 officers and men.

fresnel class.

(completed 1908?12.)

fresnel. berthelot. papin. monge. ampère. gay-lussac. cagnot. faraday. giffard. montgolfier. newton. volta. watt. euler. faucault. franklin. arago. permouilli. joule. coulomb. curie. le verrier.

twenty-two submarines of the largest sea-going laubeuf type. only three of these are steam driven, the others using heavy-oil engines for surface propulsion. they are in all respects similar to vessels of the pluvi?se class, and have a displacement of about 600 tons. their speed is 12 knots above, and 9 knots 88below, and the armament seven 18-inch torpedoes. these vessels are fitted with stern as well as bow tubes. their surface cruising range is over 2,000 miles.

amiral bourgeoise.

(completed 1912.)

an experimental boat of the bourdelle type, built at cherbourg. the submerged displacement is just under 800 tons and the length 190 feet. she is driven on the surface by heavy-oil engines of 1,600 h.-p., which give a speed of 15 knots. the electric motors for submerged propulsion are of 700 h.-p., giving a speed of 10 knots. the armament consists of seven 18-inch torpedoes, and the cruising range is 3,500 miles.

archimède.

(completed 1912.)

another experimental boat built at cherbourg. the submerged displacement is about 810 tons, and the length and beam 212 feet and 22 feet 89respectively. steam turbines are used for surface propulsion and electric motors when submerged. her speed is 15 knots above and 10 knots below. the armament is seven 18-inch torpedoes, and the complement 24 officers and men.

photo, m. bar.]

a french submarine of the sea-going type.

mariotte.

(completed 1912.)

the third experimental boat, of the rodiquet type, built at cherbourg. the displacement when submerged is 650 tons and the length about 200 feet. petrol motors of 1,500 h.-p. drive her at 15 knots an hour on the surface and electric motors of 550 h.-p. at 10 knots when submerged. her radius of action is 3,000 miles, and her armament seven 18-inch torpedoes, which can be fired from both bow and stern tubes. the complement is about 25 officers and men.

charles brun.

(completed 1912.)

the fourth experimental vessel, built at cherbourg during 1909?12. the 90submerged displacement is 450 tons and the length 145 feet. steam turbines of 1,300 h.-p. drive her at 15?? knots an hour on the surface, and electric motors of 500 h.-p. at 10 knots when submerged. her armament consists of six 18-inch torpedoes. the complement is 22 officers and men.

clorinde class.

(completed 1913?14.)

clorinde. cornélie. amphritrite. astree. artémis. aréthuse. atalante. amaranthe. ariane. andromaque.

these ten vessels are the very latest additions to the french submarine flotillas. they have a submerged displacement of about 550 tons, a length of 177 feet and a beam of 16 feet. heavy-oil engines of 1,300 h.-p. give them a speed of 15 knots on the surface, and electric motors of 550 h.-p. enable them to travel at 9?? knots an hour when submerged. they carry eight torpedoes, 91and have a complement of 25 officers and men.

gustave zede class.

(completed 1913?14.)

gustave zede. néréide.

these two vessels are the largest submarines in the french flotillas. they have a submerged displacement of 1,000 tons, a length of 240 feet, and a beam of 20 feet. heavy-oil engines give them a surface speed of 16 knots and electric motors a submerged speed of 10 knots. their armament consists of two bow and two stern tubes with eight 18-inch torpedoes. they are also equipped with two 14-pdr. quick-firing guns on high-angle, disappearing mountings. the cruising range is 4,000 miles, and the complement 27 officers and men.

bellone class.

(completed 1914.)

bellone. hermione. gorgone.

fast sea-going submarines with a submerged displacement of 610 tons. 92they have heavy-oil engines of about 2,000 h.-p., which give them a surface speed of 17?? knots. electric motors of 950 h.-p. drive them at 12 knots when submerged. their surface cruising range is 4,000 miles. their armament consists of eight 18-inch torpedoes and two 14-pdr. quick-firing, high-angle guns. the complement is 30 officers and men.

french submarines building.

on the day when war was declared nine submarines were in the early stages of construction. the two most advanced of these were the diane and daphne. these vessels have a submerged displacement of about 800 tons, and the anticipated speed is 18 knots and 10 knots. their armament will consist of ten torpedoes and four 9-pdr. guns. the complement will be 30 officers and men.

the other seven vessels are of the improved gustave zede class. they will have a submerged displacement of over 1,000 tons and a speed of 20 knots 93on the surface and 12 knots when submerged. their armament will consist of ten torpedoes and four 9-pdr. guns. the complement will be about 35 officers and men.