French ironclad Bouvines

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Bouvines in early 1895
History
France
NameBouvines
NamesakeBattle of Bouvines
Ordered18 December 1889
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer
CostFF14,986,587
Laid down30 September 1890
Launched29 March 1892
Completed1 December 1895
Stricken8 June 1918
FateSold for scrap, 19 June 1920
General characteristics (as built)
Type
Coastal-defense ship
Displacement6,798 t (6,691 long tons)
Length89.65 m (294 ft 2 in) (
o/a
)
Beam17.86 m (58 ft 7 in)
Draft7.54 m (24.7 ft)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) (at trials)
Range3,900 nautical miles (7,200 km; 4,500 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
Complement333 (371 as flagship)
Armament
Armor

Bouvines was the

Mediterranean Squadron
(Escadre de Méditerranée). Three years later, Bouvines rejoined the Northern Squadron.

The ship was again placed in reserve in 1907, but was recommissioned in 1910 as flagship for the units assigned to the

decommissioned the following year. Despite this, the ship served as a guard ship during World War I. Bouvines was condemned in mid-1918 and was sold for scrap
in 1920.

Design and description

The Bouvines-class coast-defence ships were ordered in accordance with the

bilge keels were later fitted. The crew of the Bouvines class numbered 15 officers and 318 ratings; service as a flagship added 5 more officers and 33 more ratings.[2]

The Bouvines-class ships were powered by two inclined horizontal

kW) and gave a top speed of 16.05 knots (29.72 km/h; 18.47 mph) on trials. The ships carried enough coal to give them a range of 3,900 nautical miles (7,200 km; 4,500 mi) at a speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[3][4]

Armament and armor

The Bouvines-class ships carried their

pivot mounts with gun shields on the shelter deck directly above the four casemated guns on the corners of the superstructure.[3]

Initially four

military mast, but this was later increased to eight, with the new guns on the superstructure.[2] Initially ten 37-millimetre (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolving cannon were positioned on the superstructure, but this was reduced to three when the additional 47 mm guns were added. Two 450-millimetre (17.7 in) torpedo tubes were mounted above the waterline, but they were removed in 1906.[2]

The Bouvines class had a full-length waterline

amidships to 250 mm (9.8 in) at the ships' ends. They were intended to have 40 centimetres (15.7 in) of the belt showing above the waterline, but they were overweight as completed and only 24 centimetres (9.4 in) of the belt was above the waterline. The maximum thickness of the armored deck was 92 mm (3.6 in) and it was joined to the top of the armor belt. The main turret armor was 370 mm (14.6 in) thick although the barbettes were only 320 mm (12.6 in) thick. The plates protecting the conning tower measured 80 mm (3.1 in) in thickness.[6]

Construction and career

A postcard of Bouvines

Bouvines, named for the 1214

Rear Admiral Chateauminois, President of the Trials Commission. Bouvines was fully commissioned (armée definitif) on 1 December. Her construction cost 14,986,587 francs.[3]

The ship arrived at Brest on 22 January 1896 and briefly became the flagship of Rear Admiral Ménard, commander of the Second Battleship Division (2e division cuirassée) of the Northern Squadron, on 1 February. Ménard was replaced eight days later by Rear Admiral Charles-Félix-Edgard de Courthille. Bouvines had engine problems shortly afterwards and conducted trials on the 22nd. For the next year and a half, she spent her time at sea training in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay, interrupted only by ferrying the President of France, Félix Faure, from Saint-Nazaire to Rochefort on 22 April 1897. De Courthille was relieved by Rear Admiral Auguste Éléonor de Penfentenyo de Kervéréguen on 10 October 1898 and transferred his flag to another ship when Bouvines was ordered to proceed to Toulon to be placed in reserve on 26 September.[8]

The ship was recommissioned on 15 December and became the flagship of Rear Admiral Léonce Caillard, commander of the Coast-Defence Division (Division des garde-côtes) of the Mediterranean Squadron. She conducted routine exercises off the coast of Provence in 1899 and Caillard was replaced by Rear Admiral Escande on 15 July, but he was relieved in his turn by Rear Admiral Charles-Alfred Mallarmé on 1 September. Bouvines departed Toulon on 21 June 1900 together with the rest of the Mediterranean Squadron to participate in manoeuvres with the Northern Squadron in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay. From 22 July the division was attached to the Northern Squadron and based in Cherbourg with reduced crews.[8]

Bouvines in 1905

The crews were filled out to full strength in preparation for the following year's manoeuvres and gunnery exercises in the Mediterranean. The Northern Squadron departed Cherbourg on 20 June 1901 and returned on 13 August. Bouvines rejoined the 2nd Battleship Division on 1 September as the flagship of Rear Admiral Rouvier. The division was transferred to Brest in 1902 and then joined the rest of the Squadron for the annual manoeuvres in the Mediterranean on 30 June. The ship made port visits in Lisbon, Portugal, and French North Africa between exercises before returning to Cherbourg on 4 September. Over the next three years, she trained in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay. Rouvier was relieved by Rear Admiral François Leygue on 28 March 1904; Rear Admiral Joseph-Albert Philibert replaced him on 3 April 1906. The Northern Squadron joined with the Mediterranean Squadron for combined manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean in mid-1906 and returned to Brest after the customary port visits on 28 August. The division arrived at Cherbourg on 5 October and Bouvines was reduced to reserve there on 1 January 1907.[8]

The ship was reactivated on 13 April 1910 as the flagship for the commander of the Channel Flotillas (Commandeur supérieur des flotilles de la Manche). She was sent to

hulk was sold for FF550,000 on 19 June 1920.[2][7][9]

Notes

  1. ^ Stourton says 18 boilers.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ Ropp, p. 173
  2. ^ a b c d e Sturton, p. 177
  3. ^ a b c de la Loge d'Ausson, p. 21
  4. ^ a b Gille, p. 83
  5. ^ Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 301
  6. ^ Sturton, pp. 177–178
  7. ^ a b Silverstone, p. 91
  8. ^ a b c de la Loge d'Ausson, pp. 21–22
  9. ^ de la Loge d'Ausson, p. 22

References

External links

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