Akula ( - Shark) was a submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 built for the Imperial Russian Navy

Imperial Russian Navy

The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...

. The boat was designed by Ivan Bubnov and was an amalgam of the previous Minoga

Russian submarine Minoga

The Minoga was a submarine built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was built by Baltic Yard in St Petersburg and designed by I.G. Bubnov. She was a single hulled boat with a 16 fathom diving depth. While an advance on previous boats the single shaft design was not very manueverable and the...

 and the Kasatka class submarine

Kasatka class submarine

The Kasatka class were a group of submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy. The six boats were built between 1904 and 1905. They were designed by I.G. Bubnov and were based on the Delfin. The first boat Kasatka experienced significant problems with stability on trials and had to have extra...

 designs. The design was presented to the Marine technical committee in late 1905. Initially the boat was to use petrol engines but these were replaced by safer diesels. The boats design was a single hull/ saddle tank type with a diving depth of 25 fathom

Fathom

A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom...

s (45 m). Significant initial problems were experienced and the electric motor and propellers which needed to be replaced. Akula was the first Russian submarine able to cruise long distances. In 1912 Akula made the world's first multi-torpedo volley with five torpedoes.

She subsequently served in the Baltic Fleet

Baltic Fleet

The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 making 16 patrols and unsuccessfully attacked the German battleship SMS Beowulf

SMS Beowulf

The SMS Beowulf was a coastal defence ship of the Kaiserliche Marine. It was the second ship of the Siegfried class, all of which were originally classified as fourth class ironclads but redesignated coastal defence ships in 1899...

. She struck a mine

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

 and sank near Ventspils

Ventspils

Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...

in November 1915 on her 17th patrol.