Provence-class ironclad
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 A scale model of Flandre
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Provence-class |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Preceded by | Template:Sclass- |
| Succeeded by | Template:Sclass- |
| Built | 1861–1867 |
| In commission | 1863–1893 |
| Completed | 10 |
| Scrapped | 10 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Broadside ironclad |
| Displacement | 5,700–6,000 t (5,600–5,900 long tons) |
| Length | 80.72 m (264 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) |
| Draft | 7.7–8.8 m (25 ft 3 in – 28 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, 1 horizontal-return connecting rod-steam engine |
| Sail plan | Barque-rig |
| Speed | 13.2–16.5 knots (24.4–30.6 km/h; 15.2–19.0 mph) (trials) |
| Range | 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 579–594 |
| Armament | 11 × single 194 mm (7.6 in) smoothbore muzzle-loading guns |
| Armor |
|
The Provence-class ironclads consisted of 10 ironclad frigates built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) during the 1860s. Only one of the sister ships was built with an wrought iron hull; the others were built in wood.
Design and description
The Provence class was designed by naval architect Henri Dupuy de Lôme as an enlarged version of the Template:Sclass-s with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities. The ships had an overall length of 80.72 meters (264 ft 10 in), with a beam of 17 meters (55 ft 9 in), and a draft of 7.7–8.8 meters (25 ft 3 in – 28 ft 10 in), depending on the load. They displaced between 5,700–6,000 metric tons (5,600–5,900 long tons). All of the ships except Héroïne had wooden hulls; that ship had an iron hull.[1] Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram. The Provence-class ships had a metacentric height of about 1.4 meters (4.5 ft) and did not rolled as badly as the Gloires.[2] They had a crew of 579–594 officers and enlisted men.[3]
The ships of the Provence class had a single horizontal-return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove a four-bladed, 6.1-meter (20 ft) propeller,[4] using steam provided by eight boilers[Note 1] that had a maximum pressure of 1.8 kg/cm2 (177 kPa; 26 psi).[3] The engine was rated at 1,000 nominal horsepower or 3,200 metric horsepower (2,400 kW) and intended to give the ships a speed in excess of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). Available records of their sea trials show that they achieved speeds of 13.2–16.5 knots (24.4–30.6 km/h; 15.2–19.0 mph) from 2,918–3,895 metric horsepower (2,146–2,865 kW)[3] The Provence class carried between 590–640 t (581–630 long tons) of coal[2] which allowed them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[5] They were fitted with a three-masted barque rig that had a sail area of 1,960 square meters (21,100 sq ft).[4]
The main battery of the Provence-class ships was intended to be thirty 164.7-millimetre (6.5 in) Modèle 1858–60 rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns, but this was changed to eleven 194-millimetre (7.6 in) Modèle 1864 smoothbore muzzle-loading guns in 1865.[3] As the first ships of the class were completed that year, it is uncertain if any received their intended armament, although historians. Ten of the Modèle 1864 guns were mounted on the broadside and one was on a pivot mount below the forecastle deck as a chase gun. Three years later, their armament was changed to eight 240-millimetre (9.4 in) RMLs and four 194 mm smoothbores.[3][Note 2]
Ships
| Ship | Builder[2] | Laid down[3] | Launched[3] | Completed[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flandre | Arsenal de Cherbourg | 28 January 1861 | 12 June 1854 | May 1865 |
| Gauloise | Arsenal de Brest | 24 January 1861 | 26 April 1865 | 5 December 1867 |
| Guyenne | Arsenal de Rochefort | 11 February 1861 | 6 September 1865 | 6 November 1867 |
| Héroïne | Arsenal de Lorient | 10 June 1861 | 19 December 1863 | 7 June 1865 |
| Magnanime | Arsenal de Brest | 27 February 1861 | 19 August 1864 | 1 November 1865 |
| Provence | Arsenal de Toulon | March 1861 | 29 October 1863 | 1 February 1865 |
| Revanche | 28 December 1865 | 1 May 1867 | ||
| Savoie | 29 September 1864 | 25 March 1865 | ||
| Surveillante | Arsenal de Lorient | 28 January 1861 | 18 August 1864 | 21 October 1867 |
| Valeureuse | Arsenal de Brest | 23 May 1861 | 18 August 1864 | 25 March 1867 |
Notes
- ^ Sources differ on the number of boilers. Gille states that all ships had eight, Chesneau and Kolesnik say nine and Silverstone says that all of the ships except Revanche had eight while that ship had nine.[2][3][5]
- ^ Sources vary significantly regarding the armament of these ships, especially since dates are not often given.[6]
Citations
Bibliography
- de Balincourt, Captain; Vincent-Bréchignac, Captain (1975). "The French Navy of Yesterday: Ironclad Frigates: Second Group – Provence Type". F.P.D.S. Newsletter. III (2): 9–13. OCLC 41554533.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "France". In Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 282–333. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - Gille, Eric (1999). Cent ans de cuirassés français. Nantes: Marines. ISBN 2-909-675-50-5.
- Konstam, Angus (2019). European Ironclads 1860–75: The Gloire Sparks the Great Ironclad Arms Race. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-47282-676-3.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
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