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Although the active interest of the French Government in submarine navigation dates back theoretically to the experiments conducted by Bourgeois and Brun with the 'Plongeur' practically it began with the remarkable invention of M. Goubet. The 'Goubet I' was built in 1885 at Paris and has the following dimensions:
The stability of the 'Goubet I' is maintained by the action of a weighted pendulum fitted to a small exhaust pipe in such a manner that an inclination of the vessel one way or the other forces water from the forward to the after tank or vice-versa according to the direction in shich the movement is made. Thus the moment the boat dives, water is sucked up from the forward reservoir and ejected into that placed astern. These stability tanks are never empty when the vessel is in a light condition, as the quantity of water they contain is very small. For submerging large tanks are filled until the bouyancy has been overcome to the required degree. A careful study of the appended plan will aid my descriptions:-- The motive power is electric, the dynamo being of the Edison type; this motor is used for working all the various mechanisms, pumps, etc., contained in the interior. The electric current is supplied by a system of Schanshieff batteries placed in the bows of the boat. [Maurice Gaget is 'La Navigation Sous-Marin' says the batteries were by Stichetline.] The safety weight solidly fixed to the bottom of the boat by a clamp, in such a way, however, that a slight twist of a handle would cause it to rise to the surface. This weight adds greatly to the stability of the boat when submerged. The armament consists of a torpedo which would be fixed to the hull of a hostile vessel and. When the submarine had drawn off to a safe distance, it would be exploded by electricity. The conning-tower, by which also the crew enter the vessel, is fitted with stout lenses, which are also provided with obturators so that in the event os a glass breaking the water would instantly be excluded from the interior. The screw, placed in the stern, is moveable in every direction and hence all rudders are dispensed with. The crew, consisting of two, sit back to back on the air reservoirs which contain compressed air for respiration. This first Goubet boat is a failure, being unable to keep its depth properly, and a straight submerged run has been found absolutely impossible. The second vessel1 built by M. Goubet differs very little from his first, except in size, and the one description will therefore do for the two. The 'Goubet II' was ordered by Admiral aube on September 12th, 1886, and built at Cherbourg, the launch taking place in 1889. Her dimensions are:
The hull is one inch thick in the middle of the boat and should withstand enormous pressure. The propeller is driven by a Siemens' Road Car motor, weighing 190 kilos, and working at 9 ampères and 48 volts. The weight of the hull is five tons and the detachable safety keel weights 1½ tons. The speed is about 5½ knots the radius being 25 knots. The following description of thew vessel is interesting: 2 'Submarine boats being the subject of the day, I accepted with avidity the chance offered to me to visit the 'Goubet II' moored in the basin of the St. Ouen Docks. To tell the truth, I was going to see the 'Goubet II' to ease my conscience, having still in mind the experiment at Cherbourg (in May and June 1891) judging from which it would appear that this vessel, though of a special and improved type, was very imperfect and far from fulfilling the desiderata of the partisans of submarine warfare. I returned convinced, on the contrary, that we had in the boat, setting aside the 'Zédé,' a second satisfactory solution of the problem which just now occupies us. That it may be perfected, I agree, but I consider, that we have in our hands a serious engine of warfare, easy to construct, robust, by no means expensive and capable of carrying out a t a future date and with the same success the experiments in submarine attack recently effected by the 'Gustave Zédé' against the 'Magenta.' 'Before going further I should like to bestow a work of praise on the eminent engineer after whom the 'Zédé' is named, and who, backed up by Admiral Aube, constructed the 'Gymnôte' which is considered a good model upon which to experiment and through which to elucidate the as yet unknown factors of the problem. The name of Commander Darius who has contributed greatly by his essential perfective endeavors to a practical solution must not be forgotten. As for M. Goubet already noted for many years for his various mechanical inventions, notably the Goubet joint, all of which he perfected before turning to submarine navigation, I will leave it to the reader to judge of him by his work. 'His first submarine, tried at Cherbourg, was ordered by the Navy. The Commission decided that on certain points it left much to be desired. It was therefore thrown on the hands of the inventor who far from being discouraged constructed a model of larger dimensions than the first and profiting by the acquired experience, endows it with perferted organs and mechanisms which did away with the faults of his primitive endeavor. Such was the origin of 'Goubet II' into the interior of which we are about to enter. 'When we get on board the dome is open and the vessel is emerged about 0m. 50. The interior aspect is very attractive and very simple. It is all painted white and seats of varnished indiarubber, covering the accumulators, are placed to port and starboard. In the centre, close to the tube of the conning-tower, is placed a wheel by which the rudder is worked, or rather a steering wheel by which the propeller is moved. The shaft of the screw is articulated with that of the motor by a Goubet joint in such a manner as to allow of the boat performing evolutions in any direction. All about the dome are placed glasses, thanks to which one is able to inspect the horizon when on the surface. The 'Goubet I', 5 metres in length, was founded in a single piece of bronze; the No. II is founded of the same material in three sections, closely fitted and perfectly water-tight. 'The thickness of the centre portion is 2½cm. The two end portions diminish in thickness to 15 mm. Beneath such a thickness of a metal impervious to the attacks of the constituents of air and water, one feels quite safe. It is a fact that once the boat fell into the sea from a height of 5 metres whilst being hoisted by a crane, and yet no damage whatever was done. This perfect cohesion of the sections and these enormous resisting powers to crushing forces are not only to withstand the exterior pressure which reaches as high as 1 kilogram per square centimetre but also that the hull might be protected against the rapidly changing pressures which are exerted on the exterior. It is with submarines very much the same as with boilers, and as is well known, these latter deteriorate very rapidly unless an even pressure is maintained; with a submarine the rivets work loose, the joints warp and give and a small leak of water is the result; quite sufficient to completely upset the stability of the boat. 'Against all these dangers the 'Goubet' is fully secure. She is absolutely water-tight and stiff and is safe from all deformation to depths as great as 300 metres (circa 985 feet). 'My position is forward. I am comfortably seated on a seat in the form of a horse-shoe and find within my reach: 1st, a pair of oars which are moved by turning a vertical axle, and of which the palettes fold up when coming forward for a stroke; 2nd, on either hand a cock for letting water into the ballast tanks; 3rd, at my feet two fly-wheels between which is a lever for working a double-ended suction pump. According to the direction given to the fly-wheels, one can expel either the vitiated air, or the ballast water. 'Lastly, in the stern, which is reserved for the engineer, is the motor, a large tank for water in case a sudden dive were a necessity and an electrically worked rotary pump. Besides these there are the same mechanisms as in the bows, only more powerful. In addition there is an apparatus concerning which I must give no details; a new Apparatus applied for the first time in the 'Goubet II,' for the purpose of maintaining the vessel at an even depth when in motion submerged. We will call it the 'automatic immersion regulator.' As with the main motor it is electric, the current being supplied by a battery of accumulators. 'The entrance hatch is closed. We are going to submerge. The water cocks on both the port and starboard sides are open. We can hear the water running into the ballast chambers and yet the stability is in no way affected. The surface of the water mounts up the look-out glasses, the needle of the manometer is slowly moving. The top of the conning-tower is awash. The water cocks are turned off. Immersion is complete and we remain motionless in an equilibrium. The cocks are again open for a moment, to allow a glass of water to enter the tanks and the new position of equilibrium is at 10cm, beneath the surface. This (the surface) divides the view of the optical tube pushed out above the dome in two equal lengths just as in the cylinders of a telescope. The vision seen is very clear and yet we are only showing a half of the prism which forms the top of the optical tube. It is about the size of half a five-franc piece. 'We remain in this position for some ten minutes; I move from my place several times and placing my eye to the optical tube perceive that the upper lense is always divided in two by the surface of the water. We are masters of submersion almost to the millimetre. 'Suppose this equilibrium to be disturbed and the vessel approaching the surface, the opening of the water-cocks a second will place us in our first position. Suppose we sink, a stroke of the lever which I have vlose to my hand will expel a little liquid and the manometer will show us we are again at the appointed depth. When in motion the manoeuvre is the same. The operator keeps his eyes on the manometer as a helmsman keeps his eyes on the compass; he steers over 5 metres of depth as the pilot steers to a degree of the card. In motion it is not any more difficult, the same causes, expulsion or introduction of water, produce the same effect. 'It is in this way that the experiments were carried out at Cherbourg; but it was perceived that the man to whom the submersion was entrusted became tired out with the constant attention required and that is why M. Goubet devised the electric automatic submersion regulator, which is more powerful than the manual machines, and which above all things, is instantaneous in its action. 'In the 'Goubet I' at Cherbourg, during one of the experiments, a hydrostatic tube burst and a rush of water into the hull resulted. The crew, composed of two quarter-masters of the Navy took prompt action; the safety weight attached to the keel was unclamped and the boat bounded suddenly to the surface as though shot by a spring. The 'Goubet II' which is 8 metres long has a safety weight of 1,500 kilos. 'I have now explained everything connected with the methods of immersion and emersion when still and in motion. One can see that they are very simple. I now arrive at the chief quality of the 'Goubet, namely, the stability in diametrical and longitudinal senses. This is due to a stability of enormous weight (1,500 kilos of safety weight and about 200 litres of water ballast, besides an interior ballast of 700 kilos of lead, which is all accumulated in the central section of which the thickness reaches, as we have seen, 2½cm). Added to this is a horizontal collar fixed all round the boat and 60cm wide (at the greatest width) which besides preventing rolling and being caught up in obstructions, in no way hampers its freedom for evolution. One can now see why the 'Goubet' is so little affected by interior movement of members of the crew. An enormous inertia is opposed to every inclination. It is firm as a rock and possesses an extraordinary stability of platform even on the surface. 'As regards offensive powers, it is formidably armed, possessing as it does on each side, and fixed in tubes supported by the collar, an 18-in. White-head torpedo, which is set in motion by a lever worked from the interior. 'I ought to add that I have seen the boat carry out evolutions on the surface with the greatest ease, with the optical alone, and even submerged in the St. Ouen basin, which is 20 metres wide by 600 long, in dirty water with but little depth, this augmenting the difficulties of navigation since the slightest contact with the bottom would cause the vessel to rebound above water, a thing that has never occurred. 'I therefor consider that the 'Goubet II' can navigate submerged at a constant depth, a quality denied the 'Goubet I' by the Commission appointed at Cherbourg, who, however, in my opinion attached too great an importance to this one quality. The question to be settled is to know whether the engine in question could approach an enemy who was cruising along the coast for the purpose of bombardment, remaining the while practically invisible and invulnerable and under these conditions to torpedo her. Here is the experiment which must be carried out to-day with the enlarged and more perfect 'Goubet.' 'The 'Goubet' is granted the capability of being able to remain motionless at any depth, but is denied that of keeping the depth when in motion, a feat only possible to the submarines constructed on the principle of the 'Zédé' with a continuous flotability and a horizontal rudder. But theoretical calculations are oftentimes contradicted by experiment. 'In conclusion I respectfully desire to draw the attention of the Minister of the Marine to this new submarine which forms the subject of my article. It would be as well to appoint a commission either at Cherbourg or Toulon to make an official examination. 'Perhaps they might then be persuaded to construct an even larger vessel on the same plans; but such as it is, having cost 150,000 francs, and capable of being constructed in three months, the 'Goubet II' with a weight of hull of only 5,000 kilos, can be easily transported on the deck of a large steamer to Bizzerta and all our Colonies for which it would prove, as well as for our home ports, a unit of defense to be seriously reckoned with.' This ends M. Duboc's interesting account and so complete is it that little remains to be added. On April 13th, 1890, experiments were carried out at Cherbourg which although of much interest would take too long to describe in detail. Briefly, they consisted of a course which took the submarine beneath the keels of five torpedo boats, rounded several buoys, ran into an English merchant steamer, the 'St. Margaret,' cut the wire of a dummy mine and fixed the propeller of a steamer in such a way that it could not be turned. These experiments were fairly satisfactory but the 'Goubet' boats all found a difficulty in keeping their depth when submerged and could besides never make a greater speed than 5-6 knots even on the surface of the smoothest water and this is of course totally inadequate for modern requirements. One quality, however, they possessed to a remarkable degree - stability. So stable are the 'Goubet' boats that when submerged in a rough sea the flagstaff projecting above the surface never shows the least bit of oscillation, and movements of the crew do not effect the equilibrium in the slightest degree. The power of remaining in a constant equilibrium is also very remarkable and one not possessed by any other submarine vessel. This last capability, however, is of very little practical utility. The success of M. Goubet's inventions, however, so moved the Russian government that orders (so it is stated) were given for 300 of these vessels, the hulls to be built in Russia and the engines and mechanism to come from France. How many of these, if any, were ever laid down or completed I have been unable to ascertain, but taking into consideration their value as war-vessels, it would really not be of any great importance. The 'Goubet II' was purchased in the summer of 1901 by a M. Maire for frs. 14,000.
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