French submarine Amiral Bourgois
A postcard of Amiral Bourgois, before 1918
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Class overview | |
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Name | Amiral Bourgois |
Operators | French Navy |
Preceded by | Mariotte |
Succeeded by | Charles Brun |
Built | 1908–1914 |
In commission | 1914–1919 |
Completed | 1 |
Scrapped | 1 |
History | |
France | |
Name | Amiral Bourgois |
Namesake | Admiral Siméon Bourgois |
Ordered | 31 December 1906 |
Builder | Arsenal de Rochefort |
Laid down | 19 May 1908 |
Launched | 25 November 1912 |
Completed | 1913 |
Commissioned | 7 August 1914 |
Stricken | 12 November 1919 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 25 June 1927 |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Type | Submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 56.2 m (184 ft 5 in) ( o/a ) |
Beam | 5.52 m (18 ft 1 in) (deep) |
Draft | 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Complement | 29 officers and crewmen |
Armament |
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Amiral Bourgois was one of four experimental
Background and description
The Board of Construction (Conseil des travaux) intended to order 20 submarines for the 1906 naval program, including two large long-range experimental boats, one of which was a design by naval constructor Pierre Marc Bourdelle using an unproven Sabathé-cycle diesel engine. The board was preempted by Navy Minister (Ministre de la Marine) Gaston Thomson who opened a competition for submarines that were faster on the surface and with longer range than the preceding Pluviôse class on 6 February 1906. Surfaced requirements were for a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), a range of 1,250 nautical miles (2,320 km; 1,440 mi) without using an auxiliary fuel tank, and a range of 2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) with the extra fuel. Submerged, the boats had to have a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and a range of 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). Four designs were submitted, including Bourdelle's Amiral Bourgois, all of which were authorized by the board, along with 16 Brumaire-class submarines.[1]
The submarine was an enlarged version of the twin-hulled Brumaire design with a surfaced displacement of 580 metric tons (570 long tons) and a submerged displacement of 746 t (734 long tons). The boat had an overall length of 56.2 metres (184 ft 5 in), a beam of 5.52 meters (18 ft 1 in) and a draft of 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in).[2] She had a metacentric height of 0.852 m (2 ft 10 in) when surfaced. Her crew numbered three officers and 26 sailors.[3]
The submarine's inner hull was divided into seven
On the surface, the boat was powered by a pair of
Internally, Amiral Bourgois was armed with two superimposed 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes in the bow. Externally, the boat had one tube at the stern and two pairs of rotating Drzewiecki drop collars, one pair each fore and aft of the sail.[2] The submarine was equipped with Modèle 1911V torpedoes. These had a 110-kilogram (240 lb) warhead and a range of 2,000 meters (2,200 yd) at a speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[6]
Construction and career
Amiral Bourgois, named for the naval architect and
The boat was commissioned on 7 August, shortly after the beginning of the First World War, and was assigned to the 2nd Light Squadron (2e Escadre légère) defending the
Citations
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Garier, Gérard (1998). Des Émeraude (1905–1906) au Charles Brun (1908–1933) [From Emeraude (1905–1906) to Charles Brun (1908–1933)]. L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French). Vol. 2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-34-3.
- Roberts, Stephen S. (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4533-0.