French submarine Morse (Q3)

French submarine Morse (“Walrus”) was an early submersible built for the French Navy at the end of the 19th century. She was designed by French naval engineer Gaston Romazotti and remained in service until 1909, when she was superseded by more advanced designs.

Morse, c. 1909
History
France
Name: Morse
Namesake: The Walrus
Builder: Arsenal de Cherbourg
Laid down: 13 June 1897
Launched: 4 July 1899
Commissioned: 3 March 1900
Stricken: November 1909
Fate: Scrapped
General characteristics (as built)[1]
Class and type: unique vessel
Displacement:
  • 143 t (141 long tons) (surfaced)
  • 149 t (147 long tons) (submerged)
Length: 36.5 m (119 ft 9 in) (o/a)
Beam: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Draft: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Installed power: 284 cv
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 7.25 knots (13.43 km/h; 8.34 mph) (surfaced)
  • 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h; 6.3 mph) (submerged)
Range: 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 4.3 knots (8.0 km/h; 4.9 mph) (surfaced)
Test depth: 30m
Complement: 13
Armament:
For other ships with the same name, see French submarine Morse.

Construction

Morse was designed by French naval engineer Gaston Romazotti, who was chief engineer at the Arsenal de Cherbourg and an early submarine pioneer, having worked with Gustave Zédé on both Gymnote and Sirene (later renamed for Zédé after his death). Morse was designed to combine the best features of both vessels. Morse was laid down at Cherbourg in June 1897 and launched two years later in July 1899. She was of single-hulled construction, and built of Roma-bronze, a copper alloy of Romazotti's devising, which was intended to be more flexible than an all-steel hull, and which would interfere less with the vessels magnetic compass. Morse was powered by a 284cv electric motor, which gave her a range of 90 nautical miles on the surface at an average speed of 4.3 knots.[1]

Plan
Plan of French submarine Morse, designed by Gaston Romazotti
Key
a. screw propeller
b. vertical rudder
c. accumulators
d. ballast tank
e. trim weights
f. compressed air
g. torpedo
h. torpedo tube

Service history

Morse was commissioned in March 1900. She was based at Cherbourg and remained in service for nine years, In March 1909 Morse was involved in a collision with the British schooner Greenwich, receiving damage to her rudder and propeller.[1]

In November the same year Morse was stricken from service.[1]

Notes
  1. Conway p206
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References
  • Gardiner R, Gray R: Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906-1921 (1985) ISBN 085177 245 5
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