French submarine Plongeur

The French submarine Plongeur, 1863.
History
France
OperatorFrench Navy
Ordered1859
BuilderArsenal de Rochefort
Laid down1 June 1860
Launched16 April 1863
Stricken2 February 1872
General characteristics
Displacement381 t (420 tons) in displacement
Length45 m (146 ft)[1]
Beam3.7 m (12 ft)
PropulsionCompressed air engine with 153 m3 (5,403 ft3) of compressed air at 12.5 bar (1.25 MPa, 180 psi).
Speedkn (7.2 km/h)
Rangenmi (9 km)
Test depth10 metres
Complement12
ArmamentSpar 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.

  1. ^ Farnham Bishop. The Story of the Submarine. p. 57.