Database of french ships end subs plans.

[Akula54]

French naval ship plans database.

Good news for anyone interested: the French Navy ship plans database is back online!
However, I find the site isn't at all intuitive when it comes to downloading the plans. Too bad.

Plans de bateaux et atlas de coques

cheers

[Albacore 569]

French naval ship plans database.

Good news for anyone interested: the French Navy ship plans database is back online!
However, I find the site isn't at all intuitive when it comes to downloading the plans. Too bad.

Plans de bateaux et atlas de coques

cheers

Excellent! I been spending considerable time going through the lists. taking a break. The had a bathyscaph Archimède (1962)

Many famous ships and submarines

[jphatton]

Indeed this is really excellent reference, with high resolution scans.

As there is no obvious search function that I could find, it does require a bit of time to search through manually - there are over 2500 drawings in the Sous-Marin de Combat category. There appears to be drawing sets at least up to the early 1970's SSK's (eg. Agosta class).

There are also drawings of Pierre Levasseur, Caudron et Morane Saulnier aircraft and a large collection of French armoured fighting vehicles up to 1959

[RanSan]

Sub-Porn, you can search on the side using Type de bâtiment (Build Type). Have your browser translate for you. Thank you for this.

[Albacore 569]

I also found one drawing of the 1957 launched Arethuse class submarines. My 1/32 scale boat. Page 13. It is labels as Arethusa 1953. But the hull cross section with its heart shaped hull section is unmistakable. Up to page 81. The search function will be very useful Randy thank you too. Today I will search for the other drawings.

Many names of their submarines are repeated. There is an Argonaute in 1923 and one designed in 1953. Not untypical in all navies. Like the famous name Enterprise CV 6, then CV 65, and soon CV 80.

It's valuable in that they have detailed multiple sheets in all the various classes of submarines. The French categorically organized their subs into short range, medium range and long-range submarines. from 400 to 1500 tones. Also, Minelayers too like the famous successful Rubis.

The French ships in the pre dreadnought era to the early 1920 were widely varied in look and appearance even within the same class. The introduced some interesting innovations but generally French warships were regarded as not uniform ad very ugly. lol.

In the period between 1924 to 1940, the French navy though small, The Marine Nationale (Navy) transformed into having some of the most powerful fastest and handsome beautiful warships in the world.

The French super destroyers were practically light cruisers the French 'Contre-Torpilleurs' (what we call 'destroyers' vs torpedo boats, but most refer to them as French 'super destroyers' are still holding records even today. The Le Terrible still holds the speed record for destroyers' speed of 45.1 knots', and this was not in a light or artificial contractors sea trials but in operational loads. The French for their destroyers didn't sign that part of the London Treaty.

To achieve such tactical speeds the Le Fantasques still had follow the 'square cube law' of mathematics, Resulting in some 40% of these ships' tonnage just for fuel.

Several things changed. The French to save money sized more control of designs between shipyards and classes and made uniform. Second French steel was the best in th world it was considered at that time, but quality plummeted during WW1. By 1930 the French steel quality returned in lightness and tensile strength, that a 1000 tons displacement was saved in a heavy cruiser that could be used for armor and armement.. the third was a uniquely design French 'forced air' boilers around Parson and Auguste Rateau biolers power plants plants that operated at higher temps and pressures.

The early late 1920 's French heavy cruisers where in protection not much more than 8-inch gun destroyers in protection. But by the 1930s with better steel and forced air boilers steam plants the French Algerie was perhaps the best 1930s era London treaty complainant heavy cruiser. Algerie had much better speed protection and matching fire power to the German 8-inch inefficient heavy cruisers. and managed it all fully loaded within under 10,000 tons.

German submarines though where superior in numbers and diving depth by a considerable margin. Frech submarines were not real deep divers. Germany lost much of their technological edge after WW1 because their designers were forbidden to build warships for a time. Designers have to eat and developed liners and Merchant vessels. However German designer of submarines continued because the just moved to Holland and designed for the Dutch till they could slip back into Germany and begin a new U-boat force clandestinity and later openly. The Germans were able to save that part of German human / intellectual capital.. The USN is struggling now to get competent ship designers today.

[jphatton]

Just to note there is infact a search function under the vessel name tab (Nom du matériel), with a text box into which you can type the name (Filtre de termes disponsible) which then filters the list. Usually the lead ship name will identify the class.

[Akula54]

Just to note there is infact a search function under the vessel name tab (Nom du matériel), with a text box into which you can type the name (Filtre de termes disponsible) which then filters the list. Usually the lead ship name will identify the class.

Indeed, unfortunately, the one I am looking for does not seem to be included: the Narval class from 1952 (retrofit). :'(
To me, one of the most beautiful french submarine.