In 1901, Charles Lemale obtained a patent for a gas turbine and in 1903 he founded the Société Anonyme des Turbomoteurs with Rene Armengaud.

The society proposed a number of new technologies including hollow turbine blades, combustion reheat and compressor stage inter-cooling.

The air fuel mixture was fired by a hot wire with combustion products cooled by water spray.

Exhaust gasses were expanded in a nozzle before acting on a modified 25 hp (19 kW) de Laval steam turbine with a 6 in (152 mm) wheel which ran at 20,000 rpm.

[6] Kerosene was injected and burned in a compressed air stream increasing the pressure actuating the torpedo's propelling engine.