SUBMARINE NAVIGATION 267 



low speed left her for many years without a successor on the French 

 navy list. The high relative standing attained by the French navy 

 as compared with our own, in consequence of the vigorous action of 

 the Emperor Napoleon III. in developing steam propulsion and armor 

 protection for sea-going ships, no doubt greatly influenced French 

 polic}' at that time, and delayed development of submarine construc- 

 tion. When conditions were altered in consequence of the Franco- 

 German war of 1870, and the position of the French navy in relation 

 to the British became less favorable, it was natural that the question 

 of submarine construction should assume greater importance in France. 

 In the interval, moreover, great advances had been made in materials 

 of construction and in means of propulsion available for submarines. 

 The extended use of steel and the practical applications of electricity 

 gave to designers greater facilities than existed previously, and public 

 interest in the construction of submarines and small swift vessels was 

 increased by the writings of the jeune ecole, who strongly condemned 

 the continued construction of armored ' mastodons.' 



The modern development of submarines for war purposes is chiefly 

 due to French initiative. During the earlier stages of this develop- 

 ment progress was extremely slow. The Gymnote was ordered in 

 1886 and the Gustave Zede in 1888, and her trials continued over 

 nearly eight years, large sums of money being spent thereon. In 1896 

 competitive designs for submarines were invited, but no great activity 

 was displayed in this department of construction until the Fashoda 

 incident two years later. Since that time remarkable developments 

 have been made in France, considerable numbers of submarines have 

 been laid down, rival types have been constructed, and many designers 

 have been engaged in the work. Up to the present time about seventy 

 submarines and submersibles have been ordered; in July, 1904, the total 

 number of completed vessels was twenty-eight; and at the end of 1907 

 it is estimated that France will possess sixty completed submarines, 

 with a total displacement of nearly 13,600 tons. The first French 

 submarine of modern type, the Gymnote, was 56 feet long, and of 30 

 tons displacement. The latest types are nearly 150 feet long and of 420 

 tons displacement. The cost of a French submarine designed in 1898 

 was about 26,000/. The estimated cost of the latest and largest vessel 

 is about 70,000Z. The French have pursued no continuous policy in 

 this development, but have alternated between vessels of comparatively 

 large, and others of much smaller displacement. This course had much 

 to recommend it, no doubt, as it brought many accomplished naval 

 architects into competition; but the lack of a continuous and progres- 

 sive policy has resulted in dissatisfaction and difficulty, and this is 

 frankly acknowledged by French authorities. Two years elapsed after 

 the date when the French resolutely undertook the construction of sub- 

 marines before the British Admiralty ordered five vessels of the Hoi- 



