It was a diesel-electric submarine with three diesel engines and one electric motor, and its armament included one deck gun, four torpedo tubes, and four Drzewiecki drop collars.

It was converted to serve as a minelayer in the fall of 1915 and was lost with its entire crew on its first mission in that capacity, most likely hit by a German naval mine off the Latvian coast, around 28 November 1915.

[2][7] But upon completion Akula was regarded as the most advanced submarine in the Russian Navy, and its design was used by Bubnov as the basis for the future Morzh and Bars classes.

[9] At the outbreak of World War I, Akula was the only one of the Baltic Fleet's eleven submarines that was considered capable of more than a short range coastal defense role, and the other boats in the 1st Division were the older Minoga, Makrel, and Okun.

[12] During next year's campaign, following the freezing of the Baltic over the winter, it was sent along with the British HMS E1 and E9 to counter German naval activity near the Gulf of Riga.

[13] Akula became the first Russian submarine to actively go on the attack against enemy ships at sea instead of waiting for them to arrive at a predetermined position.

On 21 May 1915 Akula attacked the SMS Beowulf, a German coastal defense ship on its way to Libau, by firing two torpedoes, but both of them missed.

The next day a German aircraft located Akula traveling on the surface, based on reports from the U-boat SM U-26, and dropped four bombs, though they missed and did not cause any damage.

[14] After the summer of 1915 the German Navy stopped its offensive activities in the Baltic, at which point Akula and the newer large Russian submarines were assigned the task of raiding iron ore shipping.