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''Plongeur'' (French for "Diver") was a French submarine launched on 16 April 1863. She was the first submarine in the world to be propelled by mechanical (rather than human) power. Captain Siméon Bourgeois, who made the plans, and naval constructor Charles Brun began working on the design in 1859 at Rochefort. ==Specifications== The submarine used a compressed-air engine, propelled by stored compressed air powering a reciprocating engine. The air was contained in 23 tanks holding air at 12.5 bar (1.25 MPa, 180 psi), taking up a huge amount of space (153 m³/5,403 ft³), and requiring the submarine to be of unprecedented size. The engine had a power of 60 kW (80 hp), and could propel the submarine for 5 nmi (9 km), at a speed of 4 kn (7.2 km/h). Compressed air was also used to empty its ballast tanks, which had a volume of 53 m³ (1,872 ft³). Ballast was 212 t (234 tons), including a security ballast of 34 t (37 tons). The submarine was armed with a ram to break holes in the hull of enemy ships, and an electrically-fired spar torpedo, fixed at the end of a pole. The submarine was 43 m (140 ft) long and 381 t (420 tons) in displacement. A support ship, the ''Cachalot'', followed her in order to resupply the compressed air necessary to her propulsion. A small lifeboat (8 × 1.7 m; 26 × 5.6 ft) was provided for the escape of the 12-man complement. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French submarine Plongeur」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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