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

Louis Dupetit-Thouars was commissioned in the French Navy, serving in the Mediterranean Sea.

Louis Dupetit-Thouars 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 Louis Dupetit-Thouars been delivered to Romania upon completion, she would have become the third Romanian submarine (after her sister ships O'Byrne and Henri Fournier).