The Colbert-class ships were designed by Constructor Sabattier as improved versions of the ironclad and were the last ships authorized by the 1857 Naval Program. They reverted to a single propeller shaft to improve their sailing qualities and to lessen the chance of the propellers being fouled by fallen rigging.[1] As central battery ironclads, they had their armament concentrated amidships.[2] Like most ironclads of their era, they were equipped with a plough-shaped ram. The ships' crew numbered 774 officers and men. Their metacentric height was low, a little above 2feet.[3]
The ships measured 101.1- overall, with a beam of 17.57-. They had maximum drafts of 8.11- and displaced 8617-.[4]
While the exact reason for such prolonged construction time is not known, it is believed that reduction of the French Navy's budget after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and out-of-date work practices in French dockyards were likely causes.[5]
The Colbert class had a single Wolf three-cylinder horizontal return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove one propeller. The engine was powered by eight oval boilers and was designed for a capacity of 4600lk=inNaNlk=in.[3] On sea trials the engines produced 4652- and the ships reached speeds of 14.18kn14.47kn.[6] The ships carried a maximum of 620MT[3] of coal which allowed them to steam for approximately 3300nmi at a speed of .[2] They were ship rigged with three masts and had a sail area around 23000sp=usNaNsp=us.[3]
The Colberts had two 274mm guns mounted in barbettes on the upper deck, one gun at the forward corners of the battery, with six additional guns on the battery deck below the barbettes. The side of the upper deck were cut away to improve the ability of the barbette guns to bear fore and aft. One 240adj=onNaNadj=on gun was mounted in the forecastle as a chase gun. The ship's secondary armament consisted of six 138adj=onNaNadj=on guns, four forward of the battery and two aft. These latter two guns were replaced in 1878 by another 240-millimeter gun as a stern chaser. The ship also mounted four above-water 356adj=onNaNadj=on torpedo tubes.[7]
All of the guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells. The 18-caliber 274-millimeter Modèle 1870 gun fired an armor-piercing, 476.2lb shell while the gun itself weighed 22.84order=flipNaNorder=flip. The gun fired its shell at a muzzle velocity of 1424ft/s and was credited with the ability to penetrate 14.3inches of wrought iron armor at the muzzle. The armor-piercing shell of the 19-caliber 240-millmeter Modèle 1870 gun weighed 317.5lb while the gun itself weighed 15.41order=flipNaNorder=flip. It had a muzzle velocity of 1624abbr=onNaNabbr=on and could penetrate 14.4inches of wrought iron armor at the muzzle. The 138-millimeter gun was 21 calibers long and weighed 2.63order=flipNaNorder=flip. It fired a 61.7lb explosive shell that had a muzzle velocity of 1529abbr=onNaNabbr=on.[8]
At some point the ship received fourteen to eighteen 37adj=onNaNadj=on Hotchkiss 5-barrel revolving guns.[3] They fired a shell weighing about 500g at a muzzle velocity of about 610m/s to a range of about 3200m (10,500feet) and had a rate of fire of about 30 rounds per minute.[9]
The Colbert-class ships had a complete wrought iron waterline belt that was 220sp=usNaNsp=us thick amidships and tapered to 180sp=usNaNsp=us at the stern. It was backed by 89sp=usNaNsp=us of wood. The sides of the battery itself were armored with 160sp=usNaNsp=us of wrought iron, backed by 62sp=usNaNsp=us of wood, and the ends of the battery were closed by transverse armored bulkheads 120sp=usNaNsp=us thick, backed by 480sp=usNaNsp=us of wood. The barbettes were unarmored, but the deck was 15mm thick.[10]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal de Brest, Brest | 4 July 1870 | 16 September 1875 | 30 June 1877 | ||
| Arsenal de Toulon, Toulon | April 1870 | 9 November 1876 | 18 November 1878 |
Colbert served as the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron from 1879 to 1890 when she was placed in reserve. Trident became the flagship of the second-in-command of the squadron in 1879.[3] The sisters bombarded the port of Sfax on 15–16 July 1881 as the French occupied Tunisia, under the command of Vice Admiral Henri Garnault.[11]
Colbert was recommissioned in 1892 before she was disarmed and paid off in 1895. Trident was disarmed and placed in reserve in 1886–89, but was recommissioned in 1889 and resumed her role as flagship until she was again placed in reserve in 1894. The ship served as a gunnery training ship until she was condemned in 1900.[6] She was renamed Var in 1904 and was sold for scrap five years later.[12] Colbert was also condemned in 1900[6] and sold for scrap in 1909.[13]
. Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey. The Naval Annual 1887. 1888. J. Griffin. Portsmouth, England. 6000656.
. Theodore Ropp. Stephen S.. Roberts. The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy 1871–1904. 1987. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 0-87021-141-2.