French submarine Armide

Armide was a submarine ordered by the Japanese Navy from the Schneider-Creusot shipyard before World War I but was requisitioned by the French government before it was launched. Armide operated in the Mediterranean during the course of World War I and was stricken from the Navy list in July 1932.

Design
Armide had a surfaced displacement of 457 LT and a submerged displacement of 670 LT. Her dimensions were 56.2 m long, with a beam of 5.2 m and a draught of 3 m. Propulsion while surfaced was provided by two diesel motors built by the Swiss manufacturer Schneider-Carels producing in total 2200 bhp and for submerged running two electric motors producing in total 900 hp. Her maximum speed was 17.5 kn on the surface and 11 kn while submerged with a surfaced range of 2600 nmi at 11 kn and a submerged range of 160 nmi at 5 kn.

Armide was armed with six 450 mm torpedo tubes and a 47 mm L/50 M1902 Hotchkiss deck gun. The crew of the submarine consisted of 31 officers and seamen.

Service
Armide was ordered in 1911 by the Imperial Japanese Navy and was designed by Maxime Laubeuf. The ship was to receive the number 14 in Japan (第 14 号艦) but it was requisitioned by the French government on 3 June 1915, after which the Japanese themselves built a replacement No 14 to the same design, ordering the diesel engines from France.

The Armide was built in the Schneider shipyard in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The keel was laid down in 1912, it was launched in July 1915, and was completed in June 1916.

Armide operated in the Mediterranean during the course of World War I and was stricken from the Navy list in July 1932. Armide was given the pennant number of SD 2.