Gustave Zédé 1894
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Gustave Zédé (ex-Sirène) | Q002 | Mourillon, Toulon | 1889 | 1.6.1893 | 1898 | stricken 1909 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
|
|
Displacement normal, t |
261 - 266 / 270 - 272 |
|
Length, m |
48.5 |
|
Breadth, m |
3.20 |
|
Draught, m |
3.20 |
|
No of shafts |
1 |
|
Machinery |
1 electric motor |
|
Power, h. p. |
208 |
|
Max speed, kts |
9.2 / 6.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
battery only |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 85(5.5) / 55 (4.5) |
|
Armament |
1 - 450 TT (bow, 3) |
| Complement | 19 |
| Diving depth operational, m | 30 |
Project history: Originally ordered on 4 October 1890 as Sirène, renamed in 1891. Single-hull Roma-bronze submarine boat designed by M Romazotti; carried detachable lead keel. Electric power from battery. Originally fitted with 720shp = 15kts/8kts, but, owing to accident, power reduced to above.
After early difficulties owing to excessive weight and poor design of her electric batteries which had 720 cells, and after additional hydroplanes had been fitted to improve fore-and-aft control, Gustave Zédé proved an unqualified success. On trials she travelled the 41 nm from Toulon to Marseilles underwater. She made more than 2500 dives without accident and was probably the first submarine with an effective periscope (normally at 5 degrees) as well as a tall conning tower with a platform for surface lookouts.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: No significant events.
Gustave Zédé
Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.
© Ivan Gogin, 2014