French submarine Joule

French submarine Joule (Q84) was a Laubeuf type submarine of the Brumaire class, built for the French Navy prior to World War I.

History
France
Name	Joule
Namesake	James Prescott Joule
Ordered	29 October 1906
Builder	Arsenal de Toulon
Laid down	1 November 1906
Launched	7 September 1911
Commissioned	10 May 1912
Fate	Sunk in action 1 May 1915
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Brumaire-class submarine
Displacement	397 t (391 long tons) (surfaced) 551 t (542 long tons) (submerged)
Length	52.15 m (171 ft 1 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.42 m (17 ft 9 in)
Draft	3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)
Installed power	840 PS (620 kW; 830 bhp) (diesels) 660 PS (490 kW; 650 bhp) (electric motors)
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) (surfaced) 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph) (submerged)
Range	1,700 nmi (3,100 km; 2,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (surfaced) 84 nmi (156 km; 97 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	40 m (130 ft)
Complement	2 officers and 27 crewmen
Armament	1 × 450 mm (17.7 in) bow torpedo tube 1 × twin 450 mm Drzewiecki drop collar 2 × single 450 mm Drzewiecki drop collars 2× single external 450 mm torpedo launchers

Design and construction

Joule was ordered by the French Navy as part of its 1906 programme and was laid down at the Toulon Naval Yard in November of that year. Work progressed slowly, and she was not launched until 7 September 1911. She was commissioned on 10 May 1912. Joule was equipped with licence-built M.A.N. diesel engines for surface propulsion, and electric motors for power while submerged. She carried eight torpedoes, two internally and six externally. Joule was named for James Prescott Joule, the 19th century British physicist.

Service history

At the outbreak of the First World War Joule was part of the French Mediterranean Fleet. In the spring of 1915 she was dispatched as part of a French task force to assist in the naval assault on the Dardanelles, the first stage of the Gallipoli campaign.

At the end of April, under the command of Lt. L Aubert Dupetit-Thouars, Joule began an attempt to penetrate the straits in order to attack Turkish shipping in the Sea of Marmara. However, on 1 May 1915 all contact was lost. It was later established Joule ran into a Turkish minefield, struck a mine, and was sunk. All 31 of her crew were lost.

Bibliography

• Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Garier, Gérard (2002). A l'épreuve de la Grande Guerre. L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French). Vol. 3–2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-81-5.
• Garier, Gérard (1998). Des Émeraude (1905-1906) au Charles Brun (1908–1933). L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French). Vol. 2. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-34-3.
• Moore, J: Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I (1919, reprinted 2003) ISBN 1 85170 378 0

External links

• Castel, Marc: Joule at Sous-marins Français 1863 - pagesperso-orange.fr (French)