072-018 IMPERIAL RUSSIAN NAVY SUBMARINE KRUPP "FOREL"

Forel was a Russian submarine that was launched in June 1903 and entered service in 1904. The vessel was 13.1 meters long with a width (diameter) of 2.1 meters. The underwater displacement was 17 tons, and the maximum surface speed was around 5-6 knots. The ship's armament consisted of two 457 mm torpedo tubes. Forel was built at the Krupp plant, on the grassroots initiative of the concern, which wanted the project to attract decision-makers at Kaiserliche Marine. However, the company's idea failed, and Forel was not ordered in large quantities by the German Navy (hereinafter: MW). The Russian MW, which acquired it during the Russian-Japanese war (1904-1905), got interested in the project. The ship became the first submarine in the history of the Russian Navy to operate in the Far East. It is also assumed that the Forel was the first submarine constructed in Germany. The unit drowned in 1910 as a result of an accident.