Russian submarine Forel
| History | |
|---|---|
| Russian Empire | |
| Name | Forel |
| Builder | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, Germany |
| Launched | 8 June 1903 |
| Acquired | 24 May 1904 |
| Commissioned | 21 August 1904 |
| Decommissioned | 31 May 1910 |
| Fate | Sunk 17 May 1910 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 13.1 m (43 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Draft | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion | 1 electric motor, 1 shaft, 60 shp (45 kW) |
| Speed | 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h; 6.3 mph) |
| Range | 25 nm (9.8×10−7 in) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Complement | 4 |
| Armament | 2 x 18 in (457 mm) external torpedo tubes (bow) |
Forel (Russian: Форель, German: Forelle - Trout) was a midget submarine designed by Raimundo Lorenzo de Equevilley Montjustín and built by Krupp in Kiel, Germany. The design was an experimental design built as a private venture by Krupp in hopes of attracting a contract from the Imperial German Navy. Although the design proved moderately successful, the submarine did not attract German naval attention. She was purchased by the Imperial Russian Navy (IRN) in 1904 and served with the IRN until she was lost in a diving accident in 1910. She had the distinction of being the first submarine to have been built in Germany, preceding SM U-1. Forel was succeeded in service by the Krab class (one ship).