French submarine Franklin
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 An unidentified Brumaire-class submarine in Cherbourg | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Franklin |
| Ordered | 29 October 1906 |
| Builder | Arsenal de Cherbourg |
| Laid down | 1910 |
| Launched | 22 March 1913 |
| Completed | 13 July 1914 |
| Stricken | 24 November 1922 |
| Identification | Budget number: Q72 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 22 March 1922 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Brumaire-class submarine |
| Displacement | |
| 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 | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement | 2 officers and 27 crewmen |
| Armament |
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Franklin was one of 16 Brumaire-class submarines built for the French Navy during the 1910s. The submarine was assigned to the 3rd Submarine Squadron based at Cherbourg when the First World War began in August 1914.
The Brumaire class was built as part of the French Navy's 1906 building program[1] to a double-hull design by Maxime Laubeuf that were diesel-engined versions of the preceding Pluviôse class. The boats displaced 397 metric tons (391 long tons) surfaced and 551 metric tons (542 long tons) submerged. She had an overall length of 52.15 meters (171 ft 1 in), a beam of 5.42 meters (17 ft 9 in), and a draft of 3.19 meters (10 ft 6 in).[2] Her crew numbered 29 officers and crewmen.[1]
For surface running, the Brumaires were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. The engines were designed to produce a total of 840 metric horsepower (829 bhp; 618 kW), but normally only produced 725 PS (715 bhp; 533 kW), which was enough to give the boats a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). When submerged each shaft was driven by a 330-metric-horsepower (325 bhp; 243 kW) electric motor. The maximum speed underwater was 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph). They had a surface endurance of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 9.6 knots (17.8 km/h; 11.0 mph) and a submerged endurance of 84 nmi (156 km; 97 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[2]
The Brumaire class was armed with one 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tube in the bow and 6 external 450 mm torpedo launchers; all of which were positioned on the top of the hull. The two forward ones were fixed outwards at an angle of six degrees. The other launchers were single rotating Drzewiecki drop collars amidships. They could traverse 135 degrees to each side of the boat. One reload was provided for the bow tube.[2][3]