SEMT Pielstick

In 1951, after its relocation at La Courneuve, the Société Générale de Constructions Mécaniques was equipped with the first test beds.

The equipment, which enabled the company to speed up the development of a new range of engines, was later transferred to Saint-Denis and thesubsequently to Saint-Nazaire.

The first unit to go into series production was a six-cylinder, in-line engine (6 PC1 L) for the electricity generating plant of Bamako, Mali.

A dual-fuel version (gas and diesel) was also developed, while the range had its final addition in 1995 with the PC2.6B long-stroke engine.

The initial PA1 and PA2 models could be seen as miniature versions of the PC engines, with a bore of 175 mm, and could be used for a wide range of applications – including powering submarines.

It would later be developed with a VG version (variable geometry combustion chamber) and subsequently with a 200 mm bore to increase the power.

It was designed to be the most powerful engine that could be fitted to a standard International Union of Railways (UIC) locomotive.

In 1995, SEMT launched the final engines in the series, the PA6 B and high-speed PA6 B STC in 1995, providing increases in power and overall performance.

These were equipped with Hispano-Suiza compressors – given the particular constraints in terms of air aspiration and exhaust gases within a submarine.

The compressor also minimized the pressure variations created by the sea swell, increasing the reliability of the engine and therefore the safety of the entire propulsion system.

Japanese licensee Niigata identified strong demand among the country's fishing fleet – requiring an engine that would fit the trawlers exactly.

The nine-cylinder PC20 engines developed for the Sovereign of the Seas (268 meters) were mounted on rubber pads to reduce noise and vibrations in the cabins.

The PC engines for diesel-fueled electricity generating plants were installed throughout Japan, having numerous islands that need to be autonomous in terms of power production.