Joessel-class submarine
 Joessel in 1913
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Joessel class |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Preceded by | Armide class |
| Succeeded by | Lagrange class |
| Built | 1913 – 1920 |
| Planned | 8 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Cancelled | 6 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 74 m (242 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 3.62 m (11 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Complement | 47 |
| Armament |
|
The Joessel-class submarines were a class of two diesel-electric submarines built for the French Navy laid down before the start of World War I and completed after. They were built in the Arsenal de Cherbourg from 1913 to 1920, before entering service with the French Navy in 1920 and serving until 1936.
Design
[edit]The Joessel class was ordered as part of the French fleet's 1914 program. The ships were designed by Jean Simonot, as a modification of his previous project, Gustave Zédé, using two Parsons steam turbines with a power of 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW). During construction, though, the idea was abandoned and the ships were instead equipped with diesel engines.[1][2][3]
The submarines had a surfaced displacement of 870 long tons (884 t) and a submerged displacement of 1,247 long tons (1,267 t). The dimensions were 74 metres (242 ft 9 in) long, with a beam of 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) and a draught of 3.62 m (11 ft 11 in). They had two propeller shafts powered by two diesel engines built by Schneider-Carels for surface running with a combined total of 2,700 horsepower (2,000 kW) and two electric motors which together produced 1,640 hp (1,220 kW) for submerged propulsion. Their maximum speed was 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) on the surface and 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) while submerged with a surfaced range of 4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km; 4,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and a submerged range of 125 nautical miles (232 km; 144 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). Their complement was 47 men.[1][Note 1][2][3]
The ships were armed with eight 450 mm torpedo tubes (four in the bow, two stern, and two external trainable mounts), with a total of ten torpedoes and two 75 mm (3.0 in) guns.[1][2][3]
Ships
[edit]Two Joessel-class submarines were built in the Arsenal de Cherbourg, France. The ships were laid down in November 1913,[1] launched between 1917 and 1919, and completed in 1920. Joessel received the pennant number Q 109, and Fulton, Q 110. It was planned to build six additional vessels of this type, numbered Q 115 to Q 120, but the order was canceled in the course of World War I.[1][2][3]
| Joessel-class submarines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| Joessel | November 1913 | 21 July 1917 | February 1920 | Stricken in May 1936.[3] |
| Fulton | November 1913 | 1 April 1919 | July 1920 | Stricken in May 1936.[3] |
Service
[edit]
After completion, the ships were refitted: they received a new higher cylindrical conning tower, bridge and two periscopes of 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) (at the conning tower) and 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) (in the central operations room).[1][2]
The ships served in the Atlantic until the early 1930s and were transferred to French Indochina. They were stricken in May 1936.[3]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Couhat gives two 450 bhp (340 kW) diesels and two 850 shp (630 kW) electric motors
Citations
[edit]References
[edit]- Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
- Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85109-563-6.