The Lagrange-class submarines were constructed as part of the French fleet's expansion programmes from 1913 to 1914.

[1] The ships were designed by Julien Hutter, who slightly modified his previous project, the Dupuy de Lôme-class submarines, using two Parsons steam turbines with a power of 2,000 hp (1,491 kW).

[2] During construction, though, the idea was abandoned and the ships were instead equipped with diesel engines.

The ships were named after French scholars: Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Pierre-Simon Laplace,[4] Henri Victor Regnault and the constructor of submarines Gaston Romazzotti.

Of the four submarines, only two were commissioned before the end of World War I: Lagrange and Romazzotti,[4] which operated in the Mediterranean Sea.