Joessel-class submarine

The Joessel-class submarines were a class of two diesel-electric attack submarines built for the French Navy during World War I and the interwar period. They were built in the Arsenal de Cherbourg from 1913 to 1919, entered the French Marine Nationale from 1918 to 1924 and served until 1936.

Design
The Joessel class was ordered as part of the French fleet's expansion program from 1913 to 1914. The ships were designed by Jean Simonot, as a slight modification of his previous project, Gustave Zédé, using two Parsons steam turbines with a power of 2000 hp. During construction, though, the idea was abandoned and the ships were instead equipped with diesel engines.

74 m long, with a beam of 6.4 m and a draught of 3.62 m, Joessel-class submarines could dive up to 50 m. The submarine had a surfaced displacement of 870 t and a submerged displacement of 1247 t. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two 2000 hp diesel motors built by the Swiss manufacturer Schneider-Carels and two 1640 hp electric motors. The submarines' electrical propulsion allowed it to attain speeds of 11 kn while submerged and 16.5 kn on the surface. Their surfaced range was 4300 nmi at 10 kn, with a submerged range of 125 nmi at 5 kn.

The ships were armed with eight 450 mm torpedo tubes (four in the bow, two stern and two external), with a total of 10 torpedoes and two 75 mm guns. The crew of one ship consisted of four officers and 43 of officers and seamen.

Ships
Two Joessel-class submarines were built in the Arsenal de Cherbourg, France. The ships were laid down in November 1913, launched between 1917 and 1919, and completed in 1920. Joessel received the pennant number Q109, and Fulton, Q110. It was planned to build six additional ships of this type, numbered Q115 to Q120, but the order was canceled in the course of World War I.

Service
After completion, the ships were refitted: they received a new kiosk, bridge and two periscopes of 7.5 m (at the kiosk) and 9.5 m (at Headquarters).

The ships served in the Atlantic until the early 1930s and were transferred to Indochina. They were stricken in May 1936.