French submarine Louis Dupetit-Thouars

The French submarine Louis Dupetit-Thouars was the last of three submarines built for the French Navy from 1917 to 1920. It were originally ordered by the Romanian Navy, but was confiscated by the French government during World War I while still under construction. It was built at the Schneider shipyard in Chalon-sur-Saône. Louis Dupetit-Thouars was commissioned in the French Navy, serving in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was stricken from the Navy list and sold for scrap in 1928.

Louis Dupetit-Thouars
Louis Dupetit-Thouars, date unknown
History
Romania
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Gironde, France
Laid downApril 1917
FateRequisitioned by the French Navy, December 1917
France
NameLouis Dupetit-Thouars
NamesakeLouis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars
Launched1920
Completed1921
Commissioned1921
FateStricken and sold for scrap in 1928
General characteristics
Displacement342 tons (surfaced)
Length52.4 m (171 ft 11 in)
Beam4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Draft2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Propulsion2 Schneider diesel engines, 2 electric motors, 2 shafts
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (surfaced)
Range1,850 nmi (3,430 km; 2,130 mi) (10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph))
Complement25
Armament

Construction and specifications

Louis Dupetit-Thouars was ordered by the Romanian Government from the Schneider Shipyard in Gironde, being laid down in April 1917. However, Romania was forced out of the war in December 1917, when the construction of the warship was at an early stage. The submarine was subsequently completed for the French Navy, with larger bridges and conning towers. Louis Dupetit-Thouars was completed and commissioned in 1921. It had a surfaced displacement of 342 tons, measuring 52.4 meters in length, with a beam of 4.7 meters and a draught of 2.7 meters. Power plant consisted of two Schneider diesel engines and two electric motors powering two shafts, resulting in a surfaced top speed of 14 knots. It had a range of 1,850 nautical miles at 10 knots and a crew of 25. Armament consisted of four 450 mm torpedo tubes and one 47 mm deck gun.[1][2]

Service

The three boats incorporated lessons from the French war experience, and thus proved to be reasonably successful.[3] They served in the Mediterranean after World War I, but their careers were uneventful, and they were taken out of service before the start of World War II. Louis Dupetit-Thouars was stricken in November 1928 and her two sisters in August 1935.[4]

Had Louis Dupetit-Thouars been delivered to Romania upon completion, she would have become the third Romanian submarine (after her sister ships O'Byrne and Henri Fournier). This role would be fulfilled by the Italian-built Delfinul in 1936.[5]

See also

References
  1. Paul E. Fontenoy, Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact, ABC-CLIO Publishing, 2007 p. 89
  2. Bernard Fitzsimons, The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare, Volume 19, Columbia House, 1978, p. 2037
  3. Bernard Fitzsimons, The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare, Volume 19, Columbia House, 1978, p. 2037
  4. Paul E. Fontenoy, Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact, ABC-CLIO Publishing, 2007 p. 89
  5. Robert Gardiner, Warship 1992, p. 151
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