It were originally ordered by the Romanian Navy, but was confiscated by the French government during World War I while still under construction.

Henri Fournier was commissioned in the French Navy, serving in the Mediterranean Sea.

Henri Fournier was ordered by the Romanian Government from the Schneider Shipyard in Gironde, being laid down in April 1917.

The submarine was subsequently completed for the French Navy, with larger bridges and conning towers.

[4] Had Henri Fournier been delivered to Romania upon completion, she would have become the second Romanian submarine (after her sister ships O'Byrne).