Fresnel (ship, 1908)
Fresnel , 1914
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The Fresnel was a submarine of the French Navy of Pluviôse class . It was named after the French physicist Augustin Jean Fresnel .
construction
The submarine was ordered on August 26, 1905 as part of the 1905 French fleet expansion program. It was built according to the construction conceived by Maxime Laubeuf with a double hull. The keel was laid on October 8, 1905 and the launch on June 16, 1908.
The total length was 51.12 m, the width was 4.97 m and the draft was 3.04 m. Surfaced it was by two triple-expansion engines by two Temple - Water-tube boilers were provided with vapor driven. Two electric motors provided propulsion under water. When surfaced, a maximum speed of 12 knots was reached, and at a speed of 8.5 knots the range was about 1000 nautical miles (1900 km). When submerged, the maximum speed was 8 knots, and at 5 knots the fully charged batteries were sufficient for a journey of 27 nautical miles (50 km). One disadvantage of the boat was that it took a long time to dive.
accident
During a test drive in October 1908, an accident occurred in the port of La Pallice . The exact day on which this occurred is stated differently. Depending on the source, October 4th, 5th, 6th and 15th are named. When entering the harbor, the boat rammed the breakwaters due to a mistake by the helmsman. The ship was badly damaged on the torpedo tubes and sank in a short time. All five crew members were able to leave the ship unscathed.
The recovery of the boat, which lay at a depth of 8 m, began immediately. With the help of four tugs, the Fresnel was finally lifted on November 9, 1908 and pulled into port. She was put into a dry dock and finally put into service on February 22, 1911.
First World War
When the First World War broke out , the Fresnel was part of the French Mediterranean fleet. She had the order to block the ports of Austria-Hungary in the Adriatic and to sink ships. On April 28, 1915 an attack was launched on the Kotor naval base . After several unsuccessful attempts, the Fresnel was able to penetrate the bay on May 2, 1915, but could not find a suitable target.
On December 5, 1915, the Fresnel was discovered while cruising in front of the port of Kotor and chased by Austro-Hungarian warships and aircraft. The crew put the ship aground at the mouth of the Buna and went ashore. There she was captured and the submarine was destroyed by artillery fire from the destroyer Warasdiner .
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ Edwyn Gray: Few Survived: A History of Submarine Disasters , pp. 60, 242.
- ↑ Wilhelm M. Donko : Warships for China - built in Austria-Hungary in Köhler's fleet calendar 2018 , pp. 138-142.