She was ordered by Romania during World War I and laid down in April 1917 at the Schneider Shipyard in Gironde.

O'Byrne and her two sister ships (Henri Fournier and Louis Dupetit-Thouars) were ordered by the Romanian Government from the Schneider Shipyard in Gironde, being laid down in April 1917.

However, Romania was forced out of the war in December 1917, when the construction of the three warships was at an early stage.

The three submarines were subsequently completed for the French Navy, with larger bridges and conning towers.

[1][2] The three boats incorporated lessons from the French war experience, and thus proved to be reasonably successful.