Charles Martel was a pre-dreadnoughtbattleship of the French Navy built in the 1890s. Completed in 1897, she was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships ordered as part of the French response to a major British naval construction program. The five ships were built to the same basic design parameters, though the individual architects were allowed to deviate from each other in other details. Like her half-sisters—Carnot, Jauréguiberry, Bouvet, and Masséna—she was armed with a main battery of two 305mm (12in) guns and two 274mm (10.8in) guns. The ship had a top speed of 18 knots (33km/h; 21mph).
Charles Martel spent her active career in the Escadre de la Méditerranée (Mediterranean Squadron) of the French fleet, first in the active squadron, and later in the Escadre de réserve (Reserve Squadron). She regularly participated in fleet maneuvers, and in the 1901 exercises, the submarineGustave Zédé hit her with a training torpedo. Charles Martel spent just five years in the active squadron, having been surpassed by more modern battleships during a period of rapid developments in naval technology. She spent the years 1902–1914 mostly in reserve, and the navy decommissioned the vessel in early 1914, hulking her and converting her into a barracks ship. After the outbreak of World War I in August, her guns were removed for use on the front and she briefly served as a prison ship. Charles Martel was condemned in 1919 and was sold for scrap the following year.
Design
Brennus, c. 1894, which formed the basis for Charles Martel's design
In 1889, the British Royal Navy passed the Naval Defence Act that resulted in the construction of the eight Royal Sovereign-classbattleships; this major expansion of naval power led the French government to pass its reply, the Statut Naval (Naval Law) of 1890. The law called for a total of twenty-four "cuirasses d'escadre" (squadron battleships) and a host of other vessels, including coastal defense battleships, cruisers, and torpedo boats. The first stage of the program was to be a group of four squadron battleships that were built to different designs but met the same basic characteristics, including armor, armament, and displacement. The naval high command issued the basic requirements on 24 December 1889; displacement would not exceed 14,000 metric tons (13,779 long tons), the primary armament was to consist of 34-centimeter (13.4in) and 27cm (10.6in) guns, the belt armor should be 45cm (17.7in), and the ships should maintain a top speed of 17 knots (31km/h; 20mph). The secondary battery was to be either 14cm (5.5in) or 16cm (6.3in) caliber, with as many guns fitted as space would allow.[1]
The basic design for the ships was based on the previous battleship Brennus, but instead of mounting the main battery all on the centerline, the ships used the lozenge arrangement of the earlier Magenta, which moved two of the main battery guns to single turrets on the wings.[2] Five naval architects submitted designs to the high command; the design that became Charles Martel was prepared by Charles Ernest Huin, who had also designed the ironclad battleshipHoche. Political considerations, namely parliamentary objections to increases in naval expenditures, led the designers to limit displacement to around 12,000 metric tons (11,810 long tons). Huin submitted his finalized proposal in line with these considerations on 12 August 1890, and it was accepted and ordered on 10 September. Though the program called for four ships to be built in the first year, five were ultimately ordered: Charles Martel, Carnot, Jauréguiberry, Bouvet, and Masséna.[1]
An earlier vessel, also named Charles Martel, had been laid down in 1884 and cancelled under the tenure of Admiral Théophile Aube. The vessel, along with a sister ship named Brennus, was a modified version of the Marceau-class ironclad battleships. After Aube's retirement in 1887, the plans for the ships were entirely redesigned, though the later pair of ships are sometimes conflated with the earlier, cancelled designs.[3] This may be due to the fact that both of the ships named Brennus were built in the same shipyard, and material assembled for the first vessel was used in the construction of the second.[4] The two pairs of ships were, nevertheless, distinct vessels.[5]
The new Charles Martel and her half-sisters were disappointments in service; they generally suffered from stability problems, and Louis-Émile Bertin, the Director of Naval Construction in the late 1890s, referred to the ships as chavirables (prone to capsizing). All five of the vessels compared poorly to their British counterparts, particularly their contemporaries of the Majestic class. The ships suffered from a lack of uniformity of equipment, which made them hard to maintain in service, and their mixed gun batteries comprising several calibers made gunnery in combat conditions difficult, since shell splashes were hard to differentiate. Many of the problems that plagued the ships in service, particularly their stability and seakeeping, were a result of the limitation on their displacement.[6]
General characteristics and machinery
Charles Martel was 115.49 meters (378ft 11in)long between perpendiculars and 121.59 meters (398ft 11in)long overall. The ship had a beam of 21.71m (71ft 3in), a forward draft of 7.6m (24ft 11in) and a draft of 8.4m (27ft 7in) at the stern. She displaced 11,839 metric tons (11,652 long tons) at normal load and 12,145t (11,953 long tons) at full load. Charles Martel's hull was subdivided by 13 transverse bulkheads into 14 watertight compartments and she was fitted with a rambow.[7] Her forecastle gave her a high freeboard forward, but her quarterdeck was cut down to the main deck level aft. Her hull was given a marked tumblehome to give the 27cm guns wide fields of fire. Like earlier Huin designs, Charles Martel had a very tall superstructure; she was equipped with two heavy military masts, with a tall flying deck between them. In service, the tall superstructure made her top-heavy, though her high freeboard made her very seaworthy.[8][9] She normally had a crew of 651 officers and enlisted men, which increased to 751 when serving as a flagship.[7]
Charles Martel had two vertical, three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines manufactured by Schneider-Creusot;[10] each engine drove a single three-bladed, 5.7m (18ft 8in) screw using steam supplied by twenty-four Lagrafel d'Allestwater-tube boilers at a maximum pressure of 15kg/cm2 (1,471kPa; 213psi). The boilers were divided into four boiler rooms and were ducted into two funnels. Her engines were rated at 13,070 metric horsepower (9,610kW), which was intended to give the ship a speed of 17 knots (31km/h; 20mph) normally and up to 18 knots (33km/h; 21mph) using forced draft. During her sea trials on 5 May 1897, Charles Martel reached a speed of 18.13 knots (33.6km/h; 20.9mph) from 14,997 metric horsepower (11,030kW). The ship could carry a maximum of 908t (894 long tons) of coal, which gave her a range of 2,218 nautical miles (4,108km; 2,552mi) at a speed of 13.81 knots (25.6km/h; 15.9mph). Her 83-volt electrical power was provided by four 600-amperedynamos.[11]
Armament
Plan and profile of Charles Martel, showing the disposition of the ship's armament
Charles Martel's main armament consisted of two 45-caliberCanon de 305 mm Modèle 1887 guns in two single-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. The hydraulically worked turrets had a range of elevation of -5° to +15°. They fired 292-kilogram (644lb)cast-iron projectiles at the rate of one round per minute. They had a muzzle velocity of 815 meters per second (2,670ft/s) which gave a range of 12,500 meters (13,700yd) at maximum elevation.[12][13]
The ship's intermediate armament consisted of a pair of 45-caliber Canon de 274mm (10.8in) Modèle 1887 guns in single-gun wing turrets amidships on each side and sponsoned out over the tumblehome of the ship's sides. Their turrets had the same range of elevation as the main battery. The guns had the same rate of fire and muzzle velocity as the larger guns, but their cast-iron shells only weighed 216kg (476lb) and their maximum range was slightly less at 11,800m (12,900yd).[12][14]
Her secondary armament consisted of eight 45-caliber Canon de 138mm (5.4in) Modèle 1888-91 guns which were mounted in single-gun turrets at the corners of the superstructure. The turrets had an elevation range of from -5° to +15°. The guns could fire their 35kg (77lb) shells at a rate of fire of four rounds per minute. They had a muzzle velocity of 730m/s (2,400ft/s) and a range of 9,400m (10,300yd).[12][15]
Defense against torpedo boats was provided by six quick-firing (QF) 50-caliber Canon de 65mm (2.6in) Modèle 1891 guns, a dozen 40-caliber QF 47mm (1.9in) Modèle 1885 guns, and five 20-caliber QF 37mm (1.5in) revolving cannon, all in unprotected single mounts on the superstructure and in platforms on the military masts. The 65mm guns had a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute and a range of 5,400m (5,900yd) while 47mm guns could fire nine to fifteen rounds per minute to a range of 4,000m (4,400yd). The five-barrel 37mm revolving guns had a rate of fire of twenty to twenty-five rounds per minute and a range of 2,000m (2,200yd). While conducting her sea trials in 1896, two of Charles Martel's 65mm and all of her 37mm guns were replaced by four additional 47mm guns.[16][17]
Her armament suite was rounded out by four 450mm (17.7in)torpedo tubes, two of which were submerged in the ship's hull, one on each broadside, with the other two on single rotating mounts abaft the forward 138mm turrets; each mount could traverse an arc from 30° to 110° off the centerline. Charles Martel was initially equipped with Modèle 1892 torpedoes that had a 75-kilogram (165lb)warhead and a range of 800m (870yd) at a speed of 27.5 knots (50.9km/h; 31.6mph).[18]
Armor
Charles Martel's armor weighed 4,569t (4,497 long tons), 38.5% of the ship's displacement, and was constructed from a mix of nickel steel and compound armor plates that were manufactured by Schneider-Creusot. The waterline belt extended the full length of the ship and it had an average height of 2m (6ft 7in), although it reduced to 1.8m (5ft 11in) aft. The belt had a maximum thickness of 450mm amidships where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces and reduced to 350mm (13.8in) forward and 310mm (12.2in) aft. To save weight, the belt was tapered to a thickness at its bottom edge of 250mm (9.8in) amidships and 170mm (6.7in) at the ends of the ship.[7] Above the belt was a 100mm (3.9in) thick strake of armor that created a highly-subdivided cofferdam to reduce the risk of flooding from battle damage. Coal storage bunkers were placed behind the upper side armor to increase its strength.[8][19]
The faces and sides of the main and intermediate turrets were protected by armor plates 370mm (14.6in) in thickness and they had 70mm (2.8in) roofs. Their barbettes had 320mm (13in) of nickel-steel armor. The secondary turrets had 100mm sides and 20mm (0.8in) roofs. The conning tower had walls 230mm (9.1in) thick and its communications tube was protected by 200mm (7.9in) of armor. The curved armored deck was 70mm on the flat and 100mm on its slope.[20]
Service history
Map of the western Mediterranean, where Charles Martel spent the majority of her career
Active career
Charles Martel was laid down on 1 August 1891 by the Arsenal de Brest and launched on 29 August 1893.[19] After completing fitting-out work, she was commissioned for her trials on 10 January 1896. In October they were interrupted so that the battleship could participate in a naval review in Cherbourg with PresidentFélix Faure and TsarNicholas II. While conducting torpedo trials on 21 December, Charles Martel struck an uncharted rock that bent a propeller blade and slightly damaged the hull. Repairs were completed on 1 February 1897 and she was fully commissioned into the French Navy on 20 February.[21] She was delayed in completing her sea trials, as her boiler tubes had to be replaced with a safer, weld-less design, following an accident aboard Jauréguiberry with the same type of tubes. Following her commissioning for service, she was assigned to the Escadre de la Méditerranée.[22] While working up on 5 March, her rudderservomotor briefly declutched and the ship drifted onto a rock; damage was minimal and she began her voyage to Toulon three days later.[23] On 6 August she became the flagship of Contre-amiral (Rear Admiral) Paul Dieulouard and took part in fleet maneuvers off Golfe-Juan and Les Salins d'Hyères the following month. Gunnery training revealed problems with some of the guns failing to return to battery that were rectified in October–November.[24]
During a gunnery exercise on 29 March 1898,[24]Charles Martel, together with her half-sisters Carnot, Jauréguiberry, and the older battleships Brennus and Marceau, sank the avisoPétrel. Faure came aboard Charles Martel to observe a training exercise on 14–16 April and the ship visited Corsica between 21 and 31 May. She participated in the annual fleet maneuvers beginning on 8 July and made port visits in French North Africa before returning to Toulon on 30 July. The ship was assigned to the 2e Division cuirassée (Second Battleship Division) of the Escadre de la Méditerranée in mid-September and Contre-amiralGermain Roustan hoisted his flag aboard, replacing Dieulouard, on 25 September. As tensions rose during the Fashoda Incident with Great Britain, the fleet mobilized on 18 October and sortied to Les Salins d'Hyères. It stood down on 5 November and Charles Martel was docked for maintenance from 11 to 24 November.[25]
A postcard of Charles Martel
In February and March 1899, the squadron visited French Mediterranean ports and Barcelona, Spain. After repairs in Toulon in September, the ship joined the squadron in a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean that lasted from 11 October to 21 December. She was docked for maintenance in January 1900[26] and then joined the battleships Brennus, Gaulois, Charlemagne, Bouvet, and Jauréguiberry and four protected cruisers for maneuvers off Golfe-Juan, including night-firing training on 6 March. Over the course of April, the ships visited numerous French ports along the Mediterranean coast, and on 31 May the fleet steamed to Corsica for a visit that lasted until 8 June. During the fleet maneuvers held that June, Charles Martel led Group II, which included four cruisers and a pair of destroyers, under Roustan's command. The exercises included a blockade of Group III's battleships by Group II. The Escadre de la Méditerranée then rendezvoused with the Escadre du Nord (Northern Squadron) off the coast of Portugal before proceeding to Quiberon Bay for joint maneuvers in July. The maneuvers concluded with a naval review in Cherbourg on 19 July for President Émile Loubet. On 1 August, the fleet departed for Toulon, arriving on 14 August.[27] On 26 September, Contre-amiralCharles Aubry de la Noé relived Roustan as the commander of the 2e Division cuirassée.[28]
The year 1901 passed uneventfully for Charles Martel, except for the fleet maneuvers conducted that year.[27] During the June exercises, Charles Martel was hit by a training torpedo fired by the submarine Gustave Zédé, which was ruled against the rules, and her light guns sank the torpedo boat 104 during target practice. The 2e Division cuirassée sailed on 22 August to welcome Nicholas II and his wife, and arrived at Dunkirk, having rendezvoused with the lang|fr|Escadre du Nord on 31 August at Cherbourg en route. On 15 October Aubry de la Noé was relieved by Contre-amiralRené-Julien Marquis. Charles Martel was docked for maintenance at the end of the month and had a radio telegraph installed. In early 1902, the ship made the usual visits to French Mediterranean ports.[29]
On 10 May Marquis was transferred to a new job[28] and Charles Martel was transferred to the Division de réserve of the Escadre de la Méditerranée, along with the battleships Brennus, Carnot, and Hoche and the armored cruisersPothuau, Amiral Charner, and Bruix as more modern ships had joined the fleet.[30][31] She initially served as the flagship of Contre-amiralJoseph Besson, though by July 1903 her place as flagship had been taken by the battleship Saint Louis. During this period in reserve, the ship was frequently reactivated for short periods to replace active vessels that had to be docked for maintenance.[32] During the fleet maneuvers in July 1905, Charles Martel's main guns had a rate of fire of one round every nine minutes and her intermediate guns one round about every four minutes.[33] She remained in the Escadre de réserve; by 1906, she was in the 2e Division, under the command of Contre-amiralPaul-Louis Germinet.[34] Her above-water torpedo tubes were removed on 13 June.[33] On 16 September, she was present for a major fleet review in Marseilles that saw visits from British, Spanish, and Italian squadrons.[35] The ship was maintained in a state of en disponibilité armée, a state of reduced readiness; Charles Martel was in full commission for three months of the year for training, and in reserve with a reduced crew for the remainder.[36][37] She remained in this status for the duration of 1907.[38] During an exercise off Corsica, the armored cruiser Condé ran aground on 20 November 1907 during a severe storm. After lightening the cruiser, Charles Martel and the armored cruiser Victor Hugo were able to pull Condé off.[39]
In September 1909 the battleship became the flagship of the Inspector of Flotillas and one of her propellers was damaged by an errant torpedo while the inspector was observing firing exercises by torpedo boats.[39] The following month the Marine nationale was reorganized with the Escadre de la Méditerranée redesignated as the 1re Escadre and the Escadre du Nord as the 2e Escadre, since by then the six République and Liberté-class battleships had entered service. The new ships allowed for the creation of a new 2e Escadre de ligne (Second Battle Squadron) within the 1re Escadre,[40]Charles Martel became the replacement ship for the 2e Escadre on 5 October and departed for Cherbourg on 5 November, sustaining some storm damage en route. After her arrival on the 13th, she welcomed King Manuel II of Portugal to France and then escorted the British royal yachtVictoria and Albert, with King Edward VII aboard, back to Britain. The ship was assigned to 2e Division de ligne of the 2e Escadre du ligne on 16 October 1910. Contre-amiralAchille Adam hoisted his flag aboard the ship on 21 July 1911.[39] When the Danton-class battleships began entering service in that year, the fleet was reorganized again, with Charles Martel and the other older ships being transferred to the new 3e Escadre de ligne on 5 October, which was based in Brest, and Adam becoming commander of its 2e Division de ligne.[28]
The ship's hydraulic reloading machinery for the main and intermediate turrets was replaced by manual-loading gear in August 1911, which generally rendered her combat ineffective. She was present for another naval review off Toulon on 4 September. Adam hauled his flag down on 25 February 1912 and Charles Martel was reduced to reserve status on 1 March. She was reduced to special reserve on 1 July and was transferred to Landévennec, Brittany, in November 1913. Together with her contemporaries Brennus, Carnot and Masséna, Charles Martel was decommissioned and hulked to serve as a barracks ship on 1 April 1914.[39][41]
Bouvet was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy that was built in the 1890s. She was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships, along with Charles Martel, Jauréguiberry, Carnot, and Masséna, which were ordered in response to the British Royal Sovereign class. Bouvet was the last vessel of the group to be built, and her design was based on that of Charles Martel. Like her half-sisters, she was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and two 274 mm (10.8 in) guns in individual turrets. She had a top speed of 18 knots, which made her one of the fastest battleships in the world at the time. Bouvet proved to be the most successful design of the five, and she was used as the basis for the subsequent Charlemagne class. Nevertheless, she suffered from design flaws that reduced her stability and contributed to her loss in 1915.
Suffren was a predreadnought battleship built for the Marine Nationale in the first decade of the twentieth century. Completed in 1902, the ship was assigned to the Escadre de la Méditerranée for most of her career and often served as a flagship. She had an eventful career as she twice collided with French ships and twice had propeller shafts break before the start of World War I in 1914. Suffren was assigned to join the naval operations off the Dardanelles, where she participated in a series of attacks on the Ottoman fortifications guarding the straits.
Masséna was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy, built in the 1890s. She was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships, along with Charles Martel, Jauréguiberry, Bouvet, and Carnot, that were ordered in response to the British Royal Sovereign class. She was named in honour of Marshal of France André Masséna. Masséna significantly exceeded her design weight and suffered from serious stability problems that inhibited accurate firing of her guns; as a result, she was considered to be an unsuccessful design.
Bretagne was the lead ship of her class of three dreadnought battleships built in the 1910s for the French Navy. Bretagne entered service in February 1916, after the start of World War I. She spent the bulk of her nearly 25-year-long career with the Mediterranean Squadron and sometimes served as its flagship. During World War I she provided cover for the Otranto Barrage that blockaded the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic Sea, but saw no action.
Jauréguiberry was a pre-dreadnought battleship constructed for the French Navy in the 1890s. Built in response to a naval expansion program of the British Royal Navy, she was one of a group of five roughly similar battleships, including Masséna, Bouvet, Carnot, and Charles Martel. Jauréguiberry was armed with a mixed battery of 305 mm (12 in), 274 mm (10.8 in) and 138 mm (5.4 in) guns. Constraints on displacement imposed by the French naval command produced a series of ships that were significantly inferior to their British counterparts, suffering from poor stability and a mixed armament that was difficult to control in combat conditions.
Mirabeau was one of the six Danton-class semi-dreadnought battleships built for the Marine Nationale in the first decade of the twentieth century. Completed in 1911, the ship often served as a flagship before the beginning of World War I three years later. Mirabeau spent the war in the Mediterranean Sea and spent most of her time blockading the Straits of Otranto and the Dardanelles to prevent German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman warships from breaking out into the Mediterranean. She also participated in the attempt to ensure Greek acquiescence to Allied operations in Macedonia in late 1916. Mirabeau briefly participated in the occupation of Constantinople after the end of the war in late 1918 and was deployed in the Black Sea in early 1919 during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. She ran aground in February 1919 off the coast of the Crimea and could not be refloated until some of her guns, armor and boilers were removed. After returning to France later that year, the ship was stricken from the Navy List. Mirabeau was given to a salvage company as payment for salvaging another battleship and broken up in 1922.
Liberté was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the French Navy in the mid-1900s. She was the lead ship of the Liberté class, which included three other vessels and was a derivative of the preceding République class, with the primary difference being the inclusion of a heavier secondary battery. Liberté carried a main battery of four 305-millimeter (12 in) guns, like the République, but mounted ten 194 mm (7.6 in) guns for her secondary armament in place of the 164 mm (6.5 in) guns of the earlier vessels. Like many late pre-dreadnought designs, Liberté was completed after the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought had entered service, rendering her obsolescent.
Vérité was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the French Navy in the mid-1900s. She was the second member of the Liberté class, which included three other vessels and was a derivative of the preceding République class, with the primary difference being the inclusion of a heavier secondary battery. Vérité carried a main battery of four 305 mm (12 in) guns, like the République, but mounted ten 194 mm (7.6 in) guns for her secondary armament in place of the 164 mm (6.5 in) guns of the earlier vessels. Like many late pre-dreadnought designs, Vérité was completed after the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought had entered service and rendered her obsolescent.
Démocratie was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the French Navy in the mid-1900s. She was the fourth member of the Liberté class, which included three other vessels and was a derivative of the preceding République class, with the primary difference being the inclusion of a heavier secondary battery. Démocratie carried a main battery of four 305 mm (12 in) guns, like the République, but mounted ten 194 mm (7.6 in) guns for her secondary armament in place of the 164 mm (6.5 in) guns of the earlier vessels. Like many late pre-dreadnought designs, Démocratie was completed after the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought had entered service, rendering her obsolescent.
République was a pre-dreadnought battleship, the lead vessel of the République class built for the French Navy built in the early 1900s. Laid down in December 1901, she was launched in September 1902 and commissioned in January 1907. Armed with a main battery of four 305 mm (12.0 in) guns, she was outclassed before even entering service by the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought, that had been commissioned the previous December and was armed with a battery of ten guns of the same caliber. Though built to an obsolescent design, République proved to be a workhorse of the French fleet, particularly during World War I.
Patrie was the second and final member of the République class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the French Navy built between her keel laying in April 1902 and her commissioning in July 1907. Armed with a main battery of four 305 mm (12.0 in) guns, she was outclassed before even entering service by the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought, that had been commissioned the previous December and was armed with a battery of ten guns of the same caliber. Though built to an obsolescent design, Patrie proved to be a workhorse of the French fleet, particularly during World War I.
Magenta was an ironclad barbette ship of the French Navy built in the 1880s and early 1890s. She was the third and final member of the Marceau class. The Marceau class was based on the earlier Amiral Baudin class of barbette ships, but with smaller guns: four 340 mm (13.4 in) weapons compared to the three 420 mm (16.5 in) guns of the earlier vessels. The ships introduced the lozenge arrangement for their main battery that became common for many French capital ships built in the 1890s. Magenta and her sister ships suffered from a number of problems, including poor stability, insufficient armor protection, and excessive displacement.
Carnot was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy. She was laid down in July 1891, launched in July 1894, and completed in July 1897. She was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships, along with Charles Martel, Jauréguiberry, Bouvet, and Masséna, which were ordered in response to the British Royal Sovereign class. Like her half-sisters, she was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and two 274 mm (10.8 in) guns in individual turrets. She had a top speed of 17.8 knots.
Brennus was the first pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Marine Nationale. Completed in 1896, she was the sole member of her class, with a main battery of heavy guns mounted on the centerline and the first use of Belleville boilers. She formed the basis for several subsequent designs, beginning with Charles Martel. As completed in 1893, the ship was very top-heavy and had to be rebuilt over the next three years before she was ready to enter service.
Neptune was an ironclad barbette ship of the French Navy built in the 1880s and early 1890s. She was the second member of the Marceau class, which included two other vessels. The Marceau class was based on the earlier Amiral Baudin class of barbette ships, but with smaller guns: four 340 mm (13.4 in) weapons compared to the three 420 mm (16.5 in) guns of the earlier vessels. They introduced the lozenge arrangement for their main battery that became common for many French capital ships built in the 1890s. Neptune and her sister ships suffered from a number of problems, including poor stability, insufficient armor protection, and excessive displacement.
Hoche was an ironclad battleship built as a hybrid barbette–turret ship for the French Navy in the 1880s. Originally designed in response to very large Italian ironclads along the lines of the French Amiral Baudin class, by the time work on Hoche began, changes in French design philosophy led to a radical re-design that provided the basis for a generation of French capital ships. Her armament was reduced in size compared to the Amiral Baudins, and was placed in the lozenge arrangement that would be used for most French capital ships into the 1890s. Hoche suffered from serious stability problems that resulted from her large superstructure and low freeboard, which required extensive work later in her career to correct. The ship incorporated new technologies for the French Navy, including gun turrets for some of her main battery guns and compound armor plate.
The Charles Martel class was a planned class of ironclad barbette ships of the French Navy. The class comprised two ships, Charles Martel and Brennus, and represented an incremental improvement over the preceding Marceau class, being larger, but carrying the same main battery of four 340 mm (13.4 in) guns in single mounts. Details of the ships' construction are unclear and contradictory, with various sources reporting that both ships were laid down, or that only Brennus was begun; neither ship was launched before they were cancelled in 1884 or 1886. Some sources indicate that Brennus was redesigned and completed as France's first pre-dreadnought battleship, Brennus, but most other historians dispute the idea.
Léon Gambetta was the lead ship of her class of three armored cruisers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Armed with four 194-millimeter (7.6 in) guns, the ships were much larger and more powerfully armed than their predecessors. Completed in 1905, she was initially assigned to the Northern Squadron where she served as a flagship. The ship was transferred to the Mediterranean Squadron in 1910 and remained there for the rest of her career.
Henri IV was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy built to test some of the ideas of the prominent naval architect Louis-Émile Bertin. She began World War I as guardship at Bizerte. She was sent to reinforce the Allied naval force in the Dardanelles campaign of 1915, although some of her secondary armament had been removed for transfer to Serbia in 1914. Afterwards, she was relegated to second-line roles before being sent to Taranto as a depot ship in 1918. She was struck from the navy list in 1920 and scrapped the following year.
Caresse, Philippe (2020). "The Fleet Battleship Charles Martel". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2020. Oxford: Osprey. pp.135–151. ISBN978-1-4728-4071-4.
Cooper, George F., ed. (1898). "French Battleship "Charles Martel"". Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute. XXIV (4): 802–803. ISSN0041-798X.
Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-84832-100-7.
Jordan, John & Caresse, Philippe (2017). French Battleships of World War One. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-59114-639-1.
"Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. London: J. J. Keliher & Co. Ltd. LI. 1907. OCLC1077860366.
Roberts, Stephen S. (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-5267-4533-0.
Ropp, Theodore (1987). Roberts, Stephen S. (ed.). The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871–1904. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-0-87021-141-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
France
