Naïade-class submarine

The Naïades were designed by Gaston Romazotti, an early French submarine engineer and director of the Arsenal de Cherbourg. They were of a single-hull design, following most previous French submarine designs, but with dual propulsion.[2] The hull was constructed of Roma-bronze, a copper alloy devised by Romazotti to resist corrosion and reduce interference with the boat's magnetic compass; it was also believed to offer more flexibility at depth. The Naïade design was based on the first French submarine, Gymnote. The submarines had a heavy lead keel for stability when submerged.[1] The submarines had a surfaced displacement of 70.5 long tons (71.6 t) and 73.6 long tons (74.8 t) submerged. They were 23.7 metres (77 ft 9 in) long with a beam of 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) and draught of 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in).[2][lower-alpha 1]

The underwater power for the single shaft was provided by a Société Éclairage Électrique electric motor rated at 95 shaft horsepower (71 kW), while on the surface a Panhard et Levassor petrol engine rated at 57 brake horsepower (43 kW) was used, giving an improved performance on the surface. The submarines had a maximum speed of 5.98 knots (11.07 km/h; 6.88 mph) submerged and 7.20 knots (13.33 km/h; 8.29 mph) on the surface and a range of 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) at 4.1 knots (7.6 km/h; 4.7 mph) submerged and 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) at 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h; 6.3 mph) on the surface. The Naïade class were armed with two single 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedoes located externally in Drzewiecki drop collars.[2][3] These were the first French submarines to incorporate an internal-combustion engine into their design.[3]

The Naïades were smaller than Romazotti's previous Morse and Morse-class submarines, smaller in fact than any French submarine to that date except the pioneering Gymnote. However the Naïades had an adequate armament (two torpedoes, carried externally) and a good performance, with a better range than Romazotti's previous designs or the contemporary Farfadet class, though not as good as Narval and Sirène class. They were considered good surface boats, with good maneuverability but erratic when submerged.[1]

The Naïades were ordered as part of the French Navy's 1900 building programme, and were constructed over the next five years at the naval dockyards at Toulon, Rochefort and Cherbourg.[2] The entire class was assigned for service in the Mediterranean Sea apart from the three submarines constructed at Cherbourg which served in the English Channel.[3]

By 1905, they had been reclassified as harbour defence boats.[1] They remained in service until just prior to the outbreak of the First World War, but by then had been superseded by more modern designs and all were stricken by mid-1914.[2] The wreck of Alose which was scuttled during an aerial bombing exercise in 1918, was discovered and raised in May 1975. The vessel is preserved as a museum piece at the headquarters of COMEX (the Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises) in Marseilles and was declared a French national historic site in 2008.[4]

• List of submarines of France

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naïade-class submarines.

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