French submarine Aigrette (1904)

The French submarine Aigrette was the lead ship of the Aigrette-class submarines built for the French Navy between 1903 and 1905. Laid down in May 1902, it was launched in February 1904 and commissioned in 1908. It was an essentially experimental submarine, and although in service during World War I, saw no action. The class was designed by Maxime Laubeuf and used Drzewiecki drop collar external torpedoes.

Design
35.9 m long, with a beam of 4.04 m and a draught of 2.63 m, Aigrette-class submarines could dive up to 30 m. The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 178 t and a submerged displacement of 153 t. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by one 150 hp diesel motor and one 130 hp electric motor. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 6.2 kn while submerged and 9.3 kn on the surface. Their surfaced range was 1300 nmi at 8 kn with a submerged range of 65 nmi at 3.8 kn.

Construction and career
Aigrette was laid down in May 1902, launched in February 1904 and commissioned in 1908. it was the first submersible in the world to use diesel engines instead of gasoline ones that were used until then. On 5 October 1904, hydrogen leaked out of the submarine's battery and exploded, and on 13 May 1908, it was sent to Toulon to serve as a training ship.

During World War I, Aigrette served in defensive positions in Brest and in Cherbourg. In 1926, Aigrette participated in successful tests for underwater cutting of anti-submarine nets, but the result were never implemented in a warship before the end of the war.

Aigrette was retired from service on 12 November 1919 and sold for scrap at Toulon on 14 April 1920.