French cruiser Châteaurenault (1898)
Châteaurenault coaling in Toulon during World War I
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Class overview | |
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Operators | French Navy |
Preceded by | Guichen |
Succeeded by | D'Estrées class |
History | |
France | |
Name | Châteaurenault |
Laid down | May 1896 |
Launched | 12 May 1898 |
Commissioned | October 1902 |
Fate | Sunk, 14 December 1917 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Protected cruiser |
Displacement | 7,898 long tons (8,025 t) |
Length | 135 m (442 ft 11 in) lwl |
Beam | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) |
Draft | 7.39 m (24 ft 3 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
Range | 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at a speed of 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Crew | 604 |
Armament | |
Armor |
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Châteaurenault was a large
Châteaurenault spent much of her early career overseas in
The ship was
Background and design
In the mid-1880s, elements in the French naval command argued over future warship construction; the
These debates took place in the context of shifting geopolitical alliances and rivalries. The early 1890s was marked by serious strategic confusion in France; despite the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1891, which should have produced friction between the two countries and their imperial rival Britain, the French Navy was still oriented against the German-led Triple Alliance. This outlook was cemented in the naval program of 1894, but even the Navy's strategic planning remained muddled. The program authorized the large protected cruisers Châteaurenault and Guichen, both of which were intended as long-distance commerce raiders. These vessels were ideally suited to attack the extensive merchant shipping network of Britain, not the continental powers of Germany or Austria-Hungary.[1]
In the early 1890s, the
Three shipyards submitted designs by early 1895, and on 15 January, the Conseil evaluated the submissions; they selected two, one from
The French cruisers suffered from several defects, including insufficient speed to catch the fast transports that would be used to carry critical materiel in wartime and their vast expense militated against their use to attack low-value shipping. Additionally, their weak armament precluded their use against enemy cruisers.[1] And Châteaurenault suffered from severe vibration at high speeds that could not be eliminated despite repeated attempts.[4]
General characteristics and machinery
Châteaurenault was 135 m (442 ft 11 in)
The ship was fitted with a pair of light pole masts for observation and signalling purposes; they were also fitted with platforms for six searchlights. Her superstructure was fairly minimal, consisting of a conning tower and bridge structure forward and a smaller, secondary conning position aft. Her crew numbered 604 officers and enlisted men. French naval officers considered Châteaurenault to have improved handling characteristics over her predecessor Guichen. Most of her auxiliary equipment was electric-powered, apart from her boat hoists, which used steam from her propulsion system. Her electric plan consisted of four dynamos rated at 80 volts.[5][7]
The ship's propulsion system consisted of three vertical
Armament and armor
Despite her large size, Châteaurenault carried a relatively light armament, since she was intended to engage unarmed merchant vessels, not other cruisers. Her
Armor protection consisted of Harvey steel. Châteaurenault had a curved armor deck that was 55 mm (2.2 in) thick on the flat portion, which was about 0.79 m (2 ft 7 in) above the waterline. Toward the sides of the hull, it sloped downward to provide a measure of vertical protection, terminating at the side of the hull about 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) below the waterline. The sloped portion increased in thickness to 100 mm (4 in), though toward the bow and stern, it was reduced to 40 mm (1.6 in). An anti-splinter deck was above the flat portion of the main deck with a cofferdam connecting it to the main deck. The forward conning tower was protected by 160 mm (6.3 in) on the sides; an armored supporting tube protected by 150 mm (5.9 in) of armor connected it to the interior of the ship. The ship's main guns were each fitted with gun shields that were 55 mm thick.[14]
Service history
Châteaurenault was built at the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyard in
She was activated immediately after being commissioned for service in China to relieve the cruiser D'Entrecasteaux, and she sailed from
Châteaurenault was recommissioned on 15 January 1910, and just fifteen days later, she accidentally
World War I
At the start of
In April 1915, she was moved to the Mediterranean as the
On 14 December 1917, Châteaurenault was steaming to
Notes
- ^ a b c Ropp, p. 284.
- ^ Roberts, pp. 233–234.
- ^ Roberts, pp. 234–236.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Roberts, p. 236.
- ^ a b c d e f Campbell, p. 313.
- ^ Ships, p. 881.
- ^ Ships, pp. 881, 883–884.
- ^ Ships, p. 883.
- ^ Leyland & Brassey, p. 36.
- ^ Leyland 1900, p. 25.
- ^ Friedman, p. 221.
- ^ Friedman, p. 224.
- ^ Ships, p. 882.
- ^ Campbell, pp. 312–313.
- ^ Leyland 1901, pp. 35–36.
- ^ a b Brassey & Leyland, p. 18.
- ^ Brassey 1903, p. 62.
- ^ Garbett, p. 709.
- ^ Burgoyne, p. 58.
- ^ Clayton, p. 49.
- ^ Brassey 1911, p. 56.
- ^ Meirat, p. 22.
- ^ Jordan & Caresse, p. 225.
- ^ a b Jordan & Caresse, p. 242.
- ^ a b Smigielski, p. 194.
- ^ Wise & Baron, p. 90.
- ^ Halpern, p. 399.
- ^ Ross, pp. 520–522.
References
- OCLC 496786828.
- Brassey, Thomas A. (1911). "Chapter III: Comparative Strength". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 55–62. OCLC 496786828.
- Brassey, Thomas A. & Leyland, John (1902). "Chapter II: The Progress of Foreign Navies". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 15–46. OCLC 496786828.
- Burgoyne, Alan H. (ed.). "The Dual Alliance: The French Navy". The Navy League Annual, 1908–1909. London: The Navy League: 51–59. OCLC 861240927.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "France". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 283–333. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Clayton, Anthony (2016). Three Republics One Navy: A Naval History of France 1870-1999. Solihull: Helion. ISBN 978-1-911096-74-0.
- ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Garbett, H., ed. (June 1904). "Naval Notes: France". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLVIII (316). London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 707–711. OCLC 1077860366.
- Halpern, Paul G. (2015). The Naval War in the Mediterranean: 1914–1918. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781317391869.
- Jordan, John & Caresse, Philippe (2019). French Armoured Cruisers 1887–1932. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4118-9.
- Leyland, John (1900). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Chapter II: The Progress of Foreign Navies". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 24–62. OCLC 496786828.
- Leyland, John (1901). "Chapter II: The Progress of Foreign Navies". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 33–70. OCLC 496786828.
- Leyland, John & Brassey, Thomas A. (1898). "Chapter II: The Progress of Foreign Navies". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 32–69. OCLC 496786828.
- Meirat, Jean (1975). "Details and Operational History of the Third-Class Cruiser Lavoisier". F. P. D. S. Newsletter. III (3). Akron: F. P. D. S.: 20–23. OCLC 41554533.
- Roberts, Stephen (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914. Barnsley: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-5267-4533-0.
- ISBN 978-0-87021-141-6.
- OCLC 35714189.
- "Ships". Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers. X (3). Washington D.C.: R. Beresford: 798–899. August 1898.
- Smigielski, Adam (1985). "France". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 190–220. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
- Wise, James E. & Baron, Scott (2004). Soldiers Lost at Sea: A Chronicle of Troopship Disasters. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591149668.