French submarine Giffard

	A postcard of sister ship Monge underway before 1915
History
France
Name	Giffard
Namesake	Henri Giffard
Builder	Arsenal de Rochefort
Laid down	1906
Launched	10 February 1910
Completed	13 October 1910
Stricken	1 December 1919
Identification	Pennant number: Q77
Fate	Scrapped
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Submarine
Displacement	404 t (398 long tons) (surfaced); 553 t (544 long tons) (submerged);
Length	51.12 m (167 ft 9 in) ( o/a)
Beam	4.96 m (16 ft 3 in)
Draft	3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Installed power	700 kW; 690 bhp) (steam); 2 × du Temple boilers; 460 PS (340 kW; 450 bhp) (electric motors);
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × triple-expansion steam engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (surfaced); 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (submerged);
Range	1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) (surfaced); 27 nmi (50 km; 31 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged);
Complement	2 officers and 23 crewmen
Armament	6 × external 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo launchers (4 × fixed, 2 × Drzewiecki drop collars)

Giffard was one of 18 Pluviôse-class submarines built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) in the first decade of the 20th century.

Design and description

The Pluviôse class were built as part of the French Navy's 1905 building program to a double-hull design by Maxime Laubeuf.^[1] The submarines displaced 404 metric tons (398 long tons) surfaced and 553 metric tons (544 long tons) submerged. They had an overall length of 51.12 meters (167 ft 9 in), a beam of 4.96 meters (16 ft 3 in), and a draft of 3.15 meters (10 ft 4 in). Their crew numbered 2 officers and 23 enlisted men.^[2]

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 350-

Du Temple boilers. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 230-metric-horsepower (227 bhp; 169 kW) electric motor.^[3] On the surface they were designed to reach a maximum speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater.^[1] The submarines had a surface endurance of 865 nautical miles (1,602 km; 995 mi) at 11.6 knots (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) and a submerged endurance of 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi) at 2.8 knots (5.2 km/h; 3.2 mph).^[4]

The first six boats completed were armed with a single 450-millimeter (17.7 in) internal bow

traverse 150 degrees to each side of the boat. The Pluviôse-class submarines carried eight torpedoes.^[5]

Construction and career

Gay-Lussac, named after the 19th-century

laid down in 1906,^[7] launched on 17 March 1910 and commissioned on 14 January 1911.^[8]

Citations

^ ^a ^b Gardiner & Gray, p. 209
^ Garier 1998, pp. 51, 54, 56, 65
^ Garier 1998, pp. 56–59
^ Garier 1998, p. 67
^ Garier 1998, pp. 59–60
^ Garier, p. 49
^ Couhat, p. 140
^ Garier 1998, p. 50

Bibliography

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 0-85177-245-5
.

Garier, Gérard (2002). A l'épreuve de la Grande Guerre. L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French). Vol. 3–2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition.
ISBN 2-909675-81-5
.

Garier, Gérard (1998). Des Émeraude (1905-1906) au 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
.

[gg8-1] Gardiner & Gray, p. 209

[2] Garier 1998, pp. 51, 54, 56, 65

[3] Garier 1998, pp. 56–59

[4] Garier 1998, p. 67

[5] Garier 1998, pp. 59–60

[6] Garier, p. 49

[7] Couhat, p. 140

[8] Garier 1998, p. 50

[1]

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[8]

v t e Pluviôse-class submarines
Ampère Berthelot Cugnot Floréal Fresnel Fructidor Gay-Lussac Germinal Giffard Messidor Monge Papin Pluviôse Prairial Thermidor Vendémiaire Ventôse Watt
Preceded by: Circé class Followed by: Brumaire class
List of submarines of France