French submarine Armide

The French submarine Armide was a diesel-electric attack submarine built for Japanese Navy before and during World War I. It was built in the Schneider-Creusot shipyards between 1912 to 1915, but was seized during the war by the French government before it could be sold, on 3 June 1915. Armide operated in the Mediterranean during the course of World War I and was stricken from the Navy list in July 1932.

Design
56.2 m long, with a beam of 5.2 m and a draught of 3 m, The submarines had a surfaced displacement of 457 t and a submerged displacement of 670 t. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 2200 hp diesel motors built by the Swiss manufacturer Schneider-Carels and two 900 hp electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 11 kn while submerged and 17.5 kn on the surface. Their surfaced range was 2600 nmi at 11 kn, with a submerged range of 160 nmi at 5 kn.

The ships were armed with 6 450 mm torpedo tubes and a 75 mm deck gun The crew of one ship consisted of 31 officers and seamen.

Service
Armide was ordered in 1911 by the Japanese Imperial Navy. and was designed by Maxime Laubeuf. The ship that was to receive the number 14 in Japan (第 14 号艦)but was requisitioned by the French government on 3 June 1915.

The Armide was built in the Schneider shipyard in Chalon-sur-Saone, France. The keel was laid down in 1912, and was launched in July 1915, and was commissioned in the French Marine Nationale in June 1916. Armide was named after Armida, a character in the epic poem Jerusalem Delivered. Armide was given the pennant number of SD2.