French submarine Alose, Historical submarine museum in Toulon Arsenal, France.
Alose is an early twentieth-century submarine now displayed as a museum at Toulon Arsenal. The vessel measures roughly 78 feet (24 meters) in length and shows a single-hull structure made from Roma-bronze, a material uncommon at the time.
The submarine was launched in 1904 at Toulon Arsenal and served the French Navy until 1914. It then became a target ship and later sank near Fréjus.
The name refers to the shad fish and follows a French Navy custom of naming vessels after sea creatures. Visitors today can walk through the narrow spaces where the crew once operated.
The museum sits inside Toulon's military harbor and can be reached through the arsenal grounds. Visitors should bring photo identification since access is controlled.
The vessel used Roma-bronze, a special alloy developed by designer Gaston Romazotti. This metal blend aimed to reduce saltwater corrosion and represented an experiment in French shipbuilding at the time.
Location: Toulon
GPS coordinates: 43.23960,5.40243
Latest update: December 6, 2025 12:02
These preserved submarines open their hatches to visitors who want to see where sailors lived and fought beneath the ocean surface. From World War II patrol boats that hunted across the Pacific to the first nuclear-powered vessel that changed naval history forever, each submarine reveals the cramped reality of underwater service. You walk through narrow steel corridors, peer into bunks stacked three high, and stand where officers once studied charts and gave orders in near silence. The collection includes vessels from harbors across the United States and around the world, each one a working museum where the instruments, torpedo tubes, and engine rooms remain as they were during active duty. Some of these submarines sank enemy warships and rescued Allied prisoners during the Second World War. Others served through the Cold War, carrying crews on patrols that lasted weeks without seeing daylight. A few pushed the limits of technology, proving that nuclear reactors could power a vessel across thousands of miles and even under the polar ice. Whether docked in a busy port or resting beside a quiet lake, these submarines bring you face to face with the men who descended into the deep, closed the hatch, and did their work in spaces smaller than a city bus.
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