French ironclad Vauban

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For other ships with the same name, see French ship Vauban.

Vauban as originally completed
History
France
NameVauban
BuilderArsenal of Cherbourg
Laid down1 August 1879
Launched3 July 1882
CommissionedMarch 1885
Stricken5 September 1905
FateSold, 1919
General characteristics
Class and type
ironclad
Displacement6,207.6 t (6,109.6 long tons; 6,842.7 short tons)
Length84.7 m (277 ft 11 in) loa
Beam17.45 m (57 ft)
Draft7.39 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Range2,380.5 nmi (4,408.7 km; 2,739.4 mi) at 12.8 knots (23.7 km/h; 14.7 mph)
Crew
  • 24 officers
  • 450 enlisted men
Armament
  • 4 × 240 mm (9.4 in) guns
  • 1 × 194 mm (7.6 in) gun
  • 6 × 138.6 mm (5.46 in) guns
  • 12 × 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolver cannon
  • 2 × 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes
Armor

Vauban was the

nautical. Vauban was laid down
in 1879 and was completed in 1885.

Though Vauban had been intended for use overseas, she spent the majority of her career in French waters in the

naval register in 1905, though she served as a depot ship
for another nine year; she was eventually sold for scrap in 1919.

Design

Main article: Vauban-class ironclad
Profile, upper deck, and battery deck drawing of the Vauban class

The Vauban class of

coastal defense ships. The Vauban class was intended to serve in the second role, and they were based on the high-seas ironclad Amiral Duperré, albeit a scaled-down version.[1] Unlike their wooden-hulled predecessors of the Bayard class, Vauban and Duguesclin adopted composite steel and iron construction for their hulls.[2]

Vauban was 84.7 m (277 ft 11 in)

long overall, with a beam of 17.45 m (57 ft) and a draft of 7.39 m (24 ft 3 in). She displaced 6,207.6 t (6,109.6 long tons; 6,842.7 short tons).[3] The crew numbered 24 officers and 450 enlisted men.[4] The ship had a fairly minimal superstructure that consisted of a small conning tower. As was typical for French ironclads of the period, her hull featured a pronounced tumblehome shape and a ram bow.[5]

Her propulsion machinery consisted of two

forced draft.[7] She had a coal storage capacity of 450 t (440 long tons; 500 short tons), which permitted her a cruising radius of 2,380 nautical miles (4,410 km; 2,740 mi) at a speed of 12.8 knots (23.7 km/h; 14.7 mph).[5] To supplement the steam engines, she was fitted with a brig sail rig with a total area of 2,160 m2 (23,200 sq ft).[6]

Her main battery consisted of four 240 mm (9.4 in), 19-

amidships in the hull, three guns per broadside. For defense against torpedo boats, she carried twelve 37 mm (1.5 in) 1-pounder Hotchkiss revolver cannon, all in individual mounts. Her armament was rounded out with two 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes in above-water launchers forward of the central battery. She also carried a pair of 65 mm (2.6 in) field guns that could be sent ashore with a landing party.[6][5]

The ship was protected with wrought iron armor; her belt was 150 to 250 mm (5.9 to 9.8 in) thick and extended for the entire length of the hull. The barbettes for the main battery were 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, and her main deck was 50 mm (2 in) thick. Her conning tower received 30 mm (1.2 in) of armor plating.[6][5]

Modifications

Vauban underwent a series of modifications during her career. A secondary conning position for an admiral and his staff was added in 1890, which received 25 mm (1 in) of iron plating on the sides. She received new boilers in 1896–1897. By 1898, her armament had been revised somewhat; the 240 mm and 194 mm guns remained unchanged, but an additional pair of 138.6 mm guns were added to the central battery. Six 47 mm (1.9 in) M1885 quick-firing guns were added to the anti-torpedo boat battery.[3]

Service history

One of the main battery guns during battle practice

Vauban was built in the

Mers-el Kebir in French Algeria.[5]

On 8 June 1887, Vauban was assigned to the Naval Division of the Levant, where she served for the next five years. She was based in

Rear Admiral O'Neill, along with her sister ship Duguesclin and the ironclad Bayard. She took part in the annual fleet maneuvers that year in company with her division-mates and six other ironclads, along with numerous smaller craft. Vauban served as part of the simulated enemy force during the maneuvers, which lasted from 30 June to 6 July.[9] During the 1890 fleet maneuvers, the ship was transferred to the 4th Division of the 2nd Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet, along with Duguesclin and Bayard. The ships concentrated off Oran, French Algeria on 22 June and then proceeded to Brest, France, arriving there on 2 July for combined operations with the ships of the Northern Squadron. The exercises began four days later and concluded on 25 July, after which Amiral Duperré and the rest of the Mediterranean Fleet returned to Toulon. During the maneuvers, a number of French ships suffered machinery problems, including Vauban, which had ball bearings in her propulsion system become overheated, forcing her to temporarily withdraw from operations.[10]

Vauban in port, date unknown

During the fleet maneuvers of 1891, which began on 23 June, Vauban served in the 3rd Division, once again with Duguesclin and Bayard. The maneuvers lasted until 11 July, during which the 3rd Division operated as part of the "French" fleet, opposing a simulated hostile force that attempted to attack the southern French coast.[11] On 26 August 1892, Vauban was withdrawn from the Squadron of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.[5] By 1893, Vauban had been reduced to the Reserve Division of the Mediterranean Squadron, where she and Dueguesclin were rated as armored cruisers. While in reserve, the ships were kept in commission with full crews for six months of the year to take part in training exercises.[12] From 2 August 1894 to 5 February 1895, Vauban served as a support vessel for the old ironclad Couronne, which was at that time serving as a gunnery training ship.[5] By 1895, the two Vauban-class ironclads had been removed from the Reserve Division altogether, and were no longer kept in service, their place having been taken by new, purpose-built armored cruisers.[13] They were reduced to the 2nd category of reserve, along with several old coastal defense ships and unprotected cruisers. The ships were retained in a state that allowed them to be mobilized in the event of a major war.[14] During this period, beginning on 8 April 1896, the ship received new boilers, which were first tested on 29 March 1897.[2]

In January 1898, Vauban was recommissioned for service abroad, finally serving in the role for which she was built. She was deployed to

Rach-Dua. Vauban was struck from the list of subsidiary vessels on 21 May 1914, but she lingered on for another five years before a request to sell the vessel was submitted on 5 September 1919. The naval ministry approved the sale on 9 October, and she was subsequently broken up.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ Ropp, p. 97.
  2. ^ a b Roberts, p. 72.
  3. ^ a b Roberts, pp. 72–73.
  4. ^ Dale, p. 405.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Roberts, p. 73.
  6. ^ a b c d Campbell, p. 303.
  7. ^ Brassey 1886, p. 29.
  8. ^ Brassey 1888, pp. 208–213.
  9. ^ Brassey 1890, pp. 33–36, 64.
  10. ^ Brassey 1891, pp. 33–40.
  11. ^ Thursfield, pp. 61–67.
  12. ^ Brassey 1893, p. 70.
  13. ^ Brassey 1895, p. 51.
  14. ^ Weyl, p. 96.
  15. ^ a b c Roberts, p. 74.
  16. ^ Brassey 1899, p. 73.
  17. ^ Leyland, pp. 75–77.
  18. ^ Marine Casualties, p. 170.
  19. ^ Brassey & Leyland, p. 17.
  20. ^ Brassey 1903, pp. 62–63.
  21. ^ Brassey 1904, p. 90.
  22. ^ Garbett, p. 709.

References

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