French Navy Pre-Dreadnought Battleships:FS Liberté, Justice, Vérité, Démocratie (1904-1908) The Liberté class were four pre-dreadnought battleships built for the French Navy, ordered as part of a naval expansion program launched in 1900 following the German Naval Law of 1898. Six new battleships were called upon, but on a post-Jeune Ecole design. Two were of the … Read more
France (1887-93): Alger, Isly, Jean Bart The Alger class were three protected cruisers with significant differences between them, with a greater armament and following the theories of the Jeune École they were intended as a long-range commerce raiders. Relatively large two-funneled cruisers with military masts, plough bows and tumblehome. Alger had an overhanging stern, not … 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 (1916-1953): Bretagne, Provence, Lorraine Choices made in 1905 meant France only ever had two classes of Dreadnoughts ever: The Courbet and Bretagne, a total of seven ships, all sharing the same hull essentially, and only differing by the artillery type and arrangement. The three Bretagne (4 planned initially, the extra one for Greece) were … Read more
France (1911) – Courbet, Paris, France, Jean Bart (ex-Ocean) France’s first dreadnoughts The Four Courbet class were the first French “monocaliber” or “dreadnought” battleships to enter service. They were started late, pending the scheduled completion of six Danton, decided at the time to not disrupt battleships production, added to the fact they were already “semi-dreadnoughts” … Read more
France (1909) Condorcet, Danton, Diderot, Mirabeau, Vergniaud, Voltaire The six Dantons were the last French pre-dreadnoughts. They had the misfortune to be ordered in 1906-1908, when HMS Dreadnought was launched. However, the planned construction resumed until the delivery of the six ships in 1911, to be succeeded by the first French Dreadnoughts, the Courbets. The … Read more
France. Armored Cruiser built 1904-1908, service until 1937. Ernest Renan was the penultimate French armored cruiser, launched the same year as HMS Dreanought and base for the last Edgar Quinet class. In August 1914, she took part in the hunt for the battlecruiser SMS Goeben, joined the Adriatic blockade of the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the … Read more
France. Armored Cruiser built 1904-1908, service until 1937. Jules Michelet was an evoliution of the previous Leon Gambetta armoured cruiser design, fitted with better boilers for more power, extra speed, and more modern marks of guns and revised armament in general. Jules Michelet had a relatively long career. Completed at Lorient Arsenal on the west … Read more
France. Built 1901-1907, service until 1928: Armored Cruiser Léon Gambetta (1903), Jules Ferry (1903), Victor Hugo (1904). The Léon Gambetta class included Léon Gambetta (launched 1901), Jules Ferry (1903), and Victor Hugo (1904), started in 1901-03, completed in 1905-07. They followed the three Gloire class but larger and more powerfully armed. Their 47 mm QF … Read more
French Navy Pre-Dreadnought Battleship: FS République, Patrie (1901-1905) The many shortcomings of the previous classes, born under the Jeune Ecole influence was highlighted and for the first time in 1899 a homogeneous class of battleships was planned, six ships total, but only two first ships, République and Patrie were ordered, the remainder four under a … Read more
