French submarine Gymnote (Q1)
- Surfaced: 30 tn.l.
- Immersed: 31 tn.l.
- Surfaced: 7.3 kn ( 13.5 km / h )
- Immersed: 4.3 knots (8 km / h)
- Over water at 5 kn: 65 NM (120 km)
- 25 NM (46 km)
The Gymnote (Q 1) (French: mutatis mutandis eel ) was after the Plongeur the second submarine of the French Navy. Just like the built about the same time and tested Spanish Isaac Peral the boat was equipped with the then new electric motor. Both ships were the first operational electric-powered submarines in the world.
Construction and Design Features
The renowned French designer Henri Dupuy de Lome ship stuck up a jointly developed with Gustave Zédé design. He could achieve that the Admiralty in 1886 a construction contract awarded. The submarine was built in Toulon and ran for three years after de Lomes death, on 24 September 1888 by stack.
The 17.8 m long immersed Einhüllenboot displaced 31 tons. The 564 lead-acid batteries powered electric main engine delivers an output of 55 hp ( 41 kW ) to a propeller. The boat reached emerged a top speed of more than 7 knots (13 km / h). Due to the high flow resistance merely a speed of slightly more than 4 knots (8 km / h) under water could be achieved. The range was about 65 nautical miles of water (120 km). The submarine was submerged up to 25 nautical miles ( 46 km) drive far.
The Gymnote had only the electric drive and could not boot with onboard equipment, which is why they could not be far away from their base their batteries. Such purely battery-powered submarines were designated in the French Navy as Sous Marines ( submarines ). The somewhat later built larger submarines like the Narval (Q 4) had in addition to the electric drive internal combustion engines for surface running, with which the batteries could be recharged. Such submarines were called submersibles ( submarines ).
Although the Gymnote was only a test vehicle, they also carried guns. The armament consisted of two 14 -inch torpedoes. Attached to the hull drain racks were used instead of external torpedo tubes. These goals for pivoting structure is called after its Russian inventor as Drzewiecki - release collar.
In order to solve the discovered during testing of Plongeur problems in the stabilization of a submerged submarine, the boat body was stabilized with two pairs of hydroplanes. The boat also had vertical screws for trimming. The vertical screws but not proved successful.
The Gymnote been fundamentally modernized in 1898. She received a powerful electric motor (90 hp) and a new tower. Through the redevelopment of the displacement increased to 33.2 ts.
Service history
Since you paid great attention at the time of launching of the Gymnote in France on the official side, in contrast to most other countries of the U- boat arm, the Gymnote was successfully tested and developed despite some initial technical difficulties. Overall, the boat performed over 2000 dives. The Spanish Isaac Peral, however, was shut down after a few test drives. Therefore, one can call the Gymnote as the first modern lasting working submarine in the world.
The design was a revolutionary advance in submarine construction. The French military was very impressed. The Navy Department ordered the construction of a much larger submarine. 1893 was the Gustave Zédé (Q 2) (originally: Sirene ) from the stack.
The Gymnote sank on 19 June 1907 in a dock in Toulon. Although she was raised, but in 1908 permanently deleted.