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 The French submarine Plongeur, 1863.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Operator | French Navy |
| Ordered | 1859 |
| Builder | Arsenal de Rochefort |
| Laid down | 1 June 1860 |
| Launched | 16 April 1863 |
| Stricken | 2 February 1872 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 381 t (420 tons) in displacement |
| Length | 45 m (146 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Propulsion | Compressed air engine with 153 m3 (5,403 ft3) of compressed air at 12.5 bar (1.25 MPa, 180 psi). |
| Speed | 4 kn (7.2 km/h) |
| Range | 5 nmi (9 km) |
| Test depth | 10 metres |
| Complement | 12 |
| Armament | Spar torpedo |
Plongeur (French for "Diver") was a French submarine launched on 16 April 1863. She was the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanized (rather than human) power.
Captain Siméon Bourgeois, who made the plans, and naval constructor Charles Brun began working on the design in 1859 at Rochefort.
- ^ Farnham Bishop. The Story of the Submarine. p. 57.