Amphitrite was the lead boat of her class of eight submarines built for the French Navy during the 1910s and completed during World War I. Completed in 1918, she played only a minor role during the war and was sold for scrap in 1936.Roberts, pp. 449–450
Design and description The Amphitrite-class boats were built as improved versions of the . They displaced surfaced and submerged. They had a length between perpendiculars of , a beam of , and a draft of . The crew numbered 27 officers and crewmen.
For surface running, the Amphitrite class was powered by a pair of two-cycle diesel engines provided by three different manufacturers, each driving one propeller shaft. Amphitrite was equipped with six-cylinder Chaléassière engines that were intended to produce a total of , but only produced during her sea trials on 16 November 1915, enough for a speed of rather than the designed . The engines were generally capable of , enough for a speed of in service. After a lengthy rebuild, the engines produced at 90% power during another set of trials on 15 June 1917 and gave Amphitrite a speed of . When submerged each shaft was driven by a electric motor.Smigielski, p. 211 The designed speed underwater was . The Amphitrites had a maximum fuel capacity of of kerosene which gave them a surface endurance of at . Their designed submerged endurance was at .
The Amphitrite-class boats were armed with a total of eight torpedoes. Two of these were positioned in the bow in external tubes angled outwards 4° 25'. The other six were located in external rotating Drzewiecki drop collars, three on each broadside that could traverse 100 degrees to the side of the boats. The boats were also equipped with a Mle 1885-1915 gun aft of the conning tower.Garier 2000, p. 56
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