List of ironclad warships of France explained
France built a series of ironclad warships between the 1850s and 1890s; these began with the ironclad floating batteries built during the Crimean War, which presaged, the first sea-going ironclad to be built by any navy.
Broadside ironclads
- 5,603 tons.[1]
- (1859) – world's first ocean-going ironclad, stricken 1879.[1]
- (1861) – stricken 1872.[1]
- (1860) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1861) 5,983 tons – hulked 1910.[1]
- 6,715 tons.[1]
- (1861) – sank after internal explosion 1875.[1]
- (1861) – stricken 1882.[1]
- 5,700 – 6,122 tons.[1]
- (1863) – stricken 1884.[1]
- (1863) – hulked 1894.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1886.[1]
- (1863) – stricken 1888.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1882.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1890.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1886.[1]
- (1865) – stricken 1883.[1]
- (1865) – BU (broken up) 1893.[1]
- (1865) – stricken 1882.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Belliqueuse|Belliqueuse]]) (1865) 3,717 tons – expended as a target 1886.[1]
Central battery ships
- (French: [[:fr:Classe Alma|Classe Alma]]) 3,513–3,828 tons.[1]
- (1867) – hulked 1886.[1]
- (1867) – stricken 1887.[1]
- (1868) – stricken 1887.[1]
- (1867) – stricken 1883.[1]
- (1868) ex- – stricken 1891.[1]
- (1868) – stricken 1886.[1]
- (1867) – stricken 1895.[1]
- 7,580/7,775 tons.[1]
- (1868) – stricken 1894.[1]
- (1869) – sold 1896.[1]
- (1870) – stricken 1897.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Classe La Galissonnière (cuirassé)|Classe La Galissonnière]] 4,585–4,645 tons.[1]
- (1872) – stricken 1894.[1]
- (1877) – sold 1903.[1]
- (1875) – hulked 1900.[1]
- (1873) 8,850 tons – stricken 1902.[1]
- (1873) 8,984 tons – sold 1901, sank in the Bay of Biscay after sale.[1]
- 8,750 tons.[1]
- (1875) – stricken 1900.[1]
- (1876) – hulked 1904.[1]
- (1876) 9,224 tons, first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material – stricken 1910.[1]
- 10,450 tons.[1]
- (1879) – BU 1922.[1]
- (1882) ex- – stricken 1910.[1]
Barbette ships
- (1879) 11,030 tons. Though this ship was designed for sail as well as steam power, her sails were removed before completion. – stricken 1909.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Classe Bayard|Classe Bayard]]) 5,915–6,260 tons.[1] Smaller versions of Amiral Duperré, with full sail power.
- (1880) – hulked 1899.[1]
- (1879) – stricken 1901.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Classe Vauban|Classe Vauban]]) 6,112 tons. Improved Bayards.[1]
- (1883) – stricken 1904.[1]
- (1882) – stricken 1905.[1]
- 11,720 tons,[1] the first French sea-going battleships without any sail power.[2]
- (1883) – hulked 1909.[1]
- (1885) – stricken 1911.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Classe Terrible|Classe Terrible]]) or Indomptable class, 7,530 tons.[1] Small battleships based on the Amiral Baudin, and intended for operating in the Baltic in case of war with Germany. The British sometimes considered these to be sea-going battleships,[3] and sometimes coastal service warships.[4]
- (1885) – BU 1927.[1]
- (1883) – BU 1927.[1]
- (1885) – stricken 1920.[1]
- (1887) – stricken 1911.[1]
- (1886) 10,820 tons, turrets & barbettes – target 1913.[1]
- 10,558–10,810 tons.[1]
- (1887) – BU 1922.[1]
- (1890) – stricken 1910.[1]
- (1887) – stricken 1913.[1]
- 10,600–10,650 tons, slightly enlarged Marceaus.[5]
- (French: [[:fr:Charles Martel (cuirassé)|Charles Martel]]) (-) laid down 1883, construction suspended 1886.
- (French: [[:fr:Brennus (cuirassé)|Brennus]]) (-) laid down 1884, construction suspended 1886.[6] [7]
Floating batteries
- built for the Crimean War 1,600 tons.[1]
- – stricken 1867
- (1855) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1855) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1855) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1855) – stricken 1871.[1]
- 1,508–1,539 tons.[1]
- (1862) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1862) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1862) – stricken 1871.[1]
- (1862) – stricken 1871.[1]
- 1,412-1.490 tons.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1881.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1884.[1]
- (1864) – stricken 1885.[1]
- 1,426–1,589 tons.[1]
- (1865) – stricken 1885.[1]
- (1867) – stricken 1882.[1]
- (1866) – stricken 1889.[1]
- (1866) – stricken 1884.[1]
Casemate ironclad
- (1865) ex- 7,800 tons, purchased 1867 – stricken 1872.[1]
Coastal defense ships
- (1865) barbette ship ram 2,433 tons – stricken 1890.[1]
- (1863) ex- 2,551 tons, purchased 1867 – stricken 1904.[1]
- 3,532 tons.[1]
- (1870) – stricken 1896.[1]
- (1872) – stricken 1897.[1]
- (1868) – stricken 1887.[1]
- (1871) – stricken 1892.[1]
- ,1st Class Coastal Battleship, 5,765–5,871 tons.[1]
- (1875) – stricken 1905.[1]
- (1877) – stricken 1908.[1]
- (1883) barbette ship 5,925 tons. Similar to Tonnant for the same reasons.[6] – stricken 1913.[1]
- , 2nd Class Coastal Battleship, 4.635-4,793 tons.[1]
- (1876) – stricken 1907.[1]
- (1878) – stricken 1905.[1]
- (French: [[:fr:Tonnant (1880)|Tonnant]]) (1880) barbette ship 5,010 tons. Originally intended to be similar to Tempête, but redesigned as a small battleship with increased freeboard and a gun at each end in barbettes.[6] – stricken 1903.[1]
- 6,681 tons.[1]
- (1893) – stricken 1922.[1]
- (1892) – stricken 1920.[1]
- 6,476 tons.[1]
- (1892) – hulked 1911.[1]
- (1892) – stricken 1911.[1]
- (1899) 8,807 tons – stricken 1921.[1] [8] [9]
See also
Notes and References
- Chesneau, Roger and Kolesnik, Eugene (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Conway Maritime Press, 1979.
- Hovgaard, William, Modern History of Warships, originally published 1920, pub Conway, 1978,
- Brassey, Lord, The Naval Annual 1887, pub Griffin, 1887.
- Brassey, Lord, The Naval Annual 1890, pub Griffin, 1890.
- Brassey, Lord, The Naval Annual 1886, pub Griffin, 1886.
- "Ropp, Theodore, The Development of a Modern Navy, French Naval Policy 1871–1904, pub US Naval Institute, 1987,
- Page 86, Brassey, Lord, The Naval Annual 1886,
- Described as one of the first battleships to utilize turrets in superfiring mode
- In 1920, Henri IV became a TSF school-ship (French: navire-école)
