Bellone-class submarine

The Bellone class was a group of three submarines built for the French Navy during World War I.

Unidentified Bellone-class submarine underway at Toulon, 1914–18
Class overview
Name	Bellone
Operators	French Navy
Preceded by	Amphitrite class
Succeeded by	Diane class
Built	1913–18
In service	1914–35
Completed	3
Scrapped	3
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Submarine
Displacement	540 t (531 long tons) (surfaced) 804 t (791 long tons) (submerged)
Length	60.6 m (198 ft 10 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.4 m (17 ft 9 in) (deep)
Draft	3.41 m (11 ft 2 in)
Installed power	2 × 900 PS (660 kW; 890 hp) diesel engines 2 × 400 PS (290 kW; 390 hp) electric motors
Propulsion	2 shafts
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (surfaced) 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) (submerged)
Range	2,300 nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (surfaced) 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	28 crew
Armament	2 × external bow 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes 2 × external stern 450 mm torpedo tubes 4 × single 450 mm rotating torpedo launchers 1 × single 75 mm (3.0 in) Canon de 75 modèle 1897 deck gun

Ships

Two of these three ships, the Gorgone and the Hermione, served in the Adriatic during World War I. The third ship, the Bellone, operated in the Atlantic during that time. As of 1935, all three ships were in the French Mediterranean Fleet, and during that year were stricken (i.e. removed from the naval register).

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Bellone (Q102)	Arsenal de Rochefort	23 April 1913	8 July 1914	12 July 1917	stricken, 29 July 1935
Hermione (Q103)	Arsenal de Toulon	14 April 1913	15 March 1917	5 February 1918
Gorgone (Q104)		2 June 1913	23 November 1915	12 October 1916	stricken, 24 July 1935

See also

• List of submarines of France

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 (2000). Des Clorinde (1912-1916) aux Diane (1912–1917). L'odyssée technique et humaine du sous-marin en France (in French). Vol. 3–1. Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Marines édition. ISBN 2-909675-54-8.
• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). "Classement par types". Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 2, 1870 - 2006. Toulon: Roche. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.