The primary objective of the design was to equip the submarine with a sole diesel propulsion system for use both when surfaced and submerged.[2] This ship's machinery was a novel attempt at Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) using gasoline engines with air supplied by pressurised cylinders. Forty-five cylinders containing 350cuft of air at 2500 psi could give the boat a 28nmi submerged range on one engine. The exhaust gases were vented via perforated pipe under the keel. The system proved reliable in trials but condensation problems and the tell-tale wake produced by the exhaust resulted in no further development and the boat was stricken in 1913.