Marine Nationale (1882-93); Marceau, Magenta, Neptune. The Marceau class were three ironclad barbette ships, the first large class of such vessels in the French Navy. They were built in 1882 to 1893. Marceau was the lead ship, followed by Neptune, and Magenta, and a fourth, Hoche was substantially re-designed and became her own class. The … Read more
Marine Nationale (1891-1896), Friant, Bugeaud, Chasseloup-Laubat The Friant class were three protected cruisers (Friant, Bugeaud, and Chasseloup-Laubat), ordered as part of a naval construction program targeting Italy and Germany to remedy a French chronic deficiency in cruisers revealed in training by the 1880s. The Friant-class were designed as fleet scouts for the French colonial empire. … Read more
France. Central Battery Ironclads Built 1875-86, service until 1909. The Dévastation class Ironclad (with the accent, not to confound with the Royal Navy steam-only breastwork monitors of the same name built earlier from 1869), and sometimes class “Courbet class” were laid down as part of the 1872 programme and a development of the 1876 ironclad … Read more
France (1886-1908) The Milan is an important ship in the French cruiser development: She was both its first modern steam-only unprotected cruiser, would-be torpedo-cruiser and Bertin’s masterpiece as the world’s fastest warship in 1884. It impressed Jeune Ecole’s guru Admiral Aube that as minister of the Navy, ordered six follow-up cruisers, the Forbin and Troude … Read more
France. Barbette Ironclads: Terrible, Indomptable, Caiman, Requin. Built 1877-1888, service until 1918. The Terrible class were four French ironclad barbette ships of the late 1870s and early 1880s. These ships, with Indomptable, Caïman (small alligator), and Requin (shark), were initially designed to answer the Sachsen class in Germany and later the Italia class and their … Read more
Marine Nationale (1886-91), Protected cruisers. Troude, Lalande, Cosmao: Service until 1908-22 The Troude class were three light protected cruisers built in the 1880s for the Marine Nationale (French Navy), Troude, Lalande and Cosmao. All three from the same yard, F.C. de la Gironde at Bordeaux. Like the Forbin class built in parallel, they were ordered … Read more
France. Barbette Ironclads: Vauban, Duguesclin. Built 1877-1886, service until 1914 The Vauban class (in some publications Duguesclin class) were two ironclad barbette ships of the Marine Nationale commissioned in 1886. Largely based on the Amiral Duperré, they had the same general arrangement but scaled down due to their role as colonial ships. They also due … Read more
Marine Nationale (1886-94), Protected cruisers. Forbin, Surcouf, Coetlogon: service until 1905-21 The Forbin class were three light protected cruisers built in the 1880s for the French Navy, Forbin, Coëtlogon, and Surcouf, ordered as part of a fleet program as flotilla leaders for torpedo boats, armed with just four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns. Forbin remained … Read more
France. Barbette Ironclads: Bayard, Turenne. Built 1876-1882, service until 1904 The Bayard class were a class of barbette ironclads of the Marine Nationale built between 1876 and 1882, Bayard and Turenne. They derived from the Amiral Duperré, with the same general arrangement but were scaled down and mostly intended for overseas colonial stations. They retained … Read more
France. Central Battery 2nd class Ironclads: La Galissonière,f Victorieuse, Triomphante. Built 1868-80, service until 1905. The La Galissonnière class were a group of central battery ironclad warships built for the French Navy, started before the Franco-Prussian War and heavily modified postwar. They were designed as part of France’s continued naval expansion and modernization during the … Read more
