Pluviôse-class submarine

The Pluviôse class were built as part of the French Navy's 1905 building program to a double-hull design by Maxime Laubeuf.Smigielski, p. 209 The submarines displaced {{convert|404|t|LT|sp=us|lk=on}} surfaced and {{convert|553|t|LT|sp=us}} submerged. They had an overall length of {{convert|51.12|m|ftin|sp=us}}, a beam of {{convert|4.96|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and a draft of {{convert|3.15|m|ftin|sp=us}}. {{ship|French submarine|Thermidor||2}} differed from her sisters as she was built to test the hull shape planned for the following {{sclass|Brumaire|submarine|4}}. She had an overall length of {{cvt|52.15|m|ftin}}, a beam of {{cvt|5.42|m|ftin}} and displaced {{cvt|396|t|LT}} on the surface and {{cvt|551|t|LT}} underwater. The submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men.Garier 1998, pp. 51, 54, 56, 65

For surface running, the boats were powered by two {{convert|350|PS|bhp kW|lk=on|0|adj=on}} triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Du Temple boilers. When submerged each propeller was driven by a {{convert|230|PS|bhp kW|0|adj=on}} electric motor.Garier 1998, pp. 56–59 On the surface they were designed to reach a maximum speed of {{convert|12|kn|lk=in}} and {{convert|8|kn}} underwater. The submarines had a surface endurance of {{convert|865|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|11.6|kn}} and a submerged endurance of {{cvt|70|nmi}} at {{convert|2.8|kn}}.Garier 1998, p. 67

The first six boats completed ({{ship|French submarine|Pluviôse||2}}, {{ship|French submarine|Messidor||2}}, {{ship|French submarine|Ventôse||2}}, {{ship|French submarine|Germinal||2}}, {{ship|French submarine|Floréal||2}} and {{ship|French submarine|Prairial||2}}) were armed with a single {{convert|450|mm|in|1|adj=on|sp=us}} internal bow torpedo tube, but after an accident that lead to the sinking of {{ship|French submarine|Fresnel|1908|2}} in 1909, the tubes were removed from Pluviôse and Messidor. A ministerial order of 18 March 1910 added one to {{ship|French submarine|Vendémiaire||2}} while she was still under construction, but the bow tubes were deleted from the rest of the class. All of the boats were fitted with six 450 mm external torpedo launchers; the pair firing forward were fixed outwards at an angle of seven degrees and the rear pair had an angle of five degrees. Following a ministerial order on 22 February 1910, the aft tubes were reversed so they too fired forward, but at an angle of eight degrees. The other launchers were a rotating pair of Drzewiecki drop collars in a single mount positioned on top of the hull at the stern. They could traverse 150 degrees to each side of the boat. The Pluviôse-class submarines carried eight torpedoes; those with bow tubes carried their reload in the torpedo compartment.Garier 1998, pp. 59–60

The Pluviôse class were acknowledged to be good sea boats and saw action throughout the First World War on patrol and close blockade duty. Of the eighteen built, five were lost.

One ({{ship|French submarine|Vendémiaire||2}}) was accidentally lost prior to the war, in 1912. Two others, Floréal and {{ship|French submarine|Priarial||2}}, were lost accidentally during the conflict, while {{ship|French submarine|Monge|1908|2}} and {{ship|French submarine|Fresnel|1908|2}} were lost in action.

• List of submarines of France

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Couhat|first=Jean Labayle|title=French Warships of World War I|year=1974|publisher=Ian Allan|location=London|isbn=0-7110-0445-5}}
• {{cite book|last=Garier|first=Gérard|title=A l'épreuve de la Grande Guerre|series=L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France|volume=3–2|year=2002|publisher=Marines édition|location=Bourg-en-Bresse, France|isbn=2-909675-81-5|language=French}}
• {{cite book|last=Garier|first=Gérard|title=Des Émeraude (1905–1906) au Charles Brun (1908–1933)|series=L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France|volume=2|year=1998|publisher=Marines édition|location=Bourg-en-Bresse, France|isbn=2-909675-34-3|language=French}}
• {{cite book |first=Jean-Michel |last=Roche |year=2005|title=Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 2, 1870 - 2006 |isbn=978-2-9525917-0-6 |oclc=165892922 |publisher=Roche |location=Toulon}}
• {{cite book|last=Smigielski|first=Adam|chapter=France|pages=190–220|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-87021-907-3}}

{{Commons category|Pluviôse class submarine (1907)}}

• [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/submarines2.htm French Submarines: 1863 - Now]
• [http://sous-marin.france.pagesperso-orange.fr/Sous-marins%20Francais.htm Sous-marins Français 1863 - ] (French)

{{Pluviôse class submarines}}

{{WWI French ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pluviose-class submarine}}

Category:Submarine classes

Category:Ship classes of the French Navy