 Turenne inToulon in March 1890 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Turenne |
| Builder | Lorient |
| Laid down | 1 March 1877 |
| Launched | 16 October 1879 |
| Completed | 1882 |
| Commissioned | 4 February 1882 |
| Stricken | 4 September 1900 |
| Fate | Sold, 1901 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Bayard-classironclad |
| Displacement | 6,363 t (6,263long tons; 7,014short tons) |
| Length | 81.22 m (266 ft 6 in)lwl |
| Beam | 17.45 m (57 ft) |
| Draft | 7.49 m (24 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Sail plan | Full-ship rig |
| Speed | 14knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Crew |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
Turenne was anironcladbarbette ship of theFrench Navy built in the 1870s and 1880s; she was the second and final member of theBayard class. Intended for service in theFrench colonial empire, she was designed as a "station ironclad", which were smaller versions of the first-rate vessels built for the main fleet. TheBayard class was a scaled-down variant ofAmiral Duperré. They carried theirmain battery of four 240 mm (9.4 in) guns in openbarbettes, two forward side-by-side and the other two aft on thecenterline.Turenne waslaid down in 1877 and wascommissioned in 1882. She was sent toEast Asia in early 1885 during theSino-French War, but the conflict had ended by the time she arrived in the area.Turenne served as theflagship of the French squadron in the region for the next five years before returning to France in early 1890. The ship saw little active service in home waters, and remained in thereserve fleet for about a decade before being sold for scrap in 1901.
TheBayard class ofbarbette ships was designed in the late 1870s as part of a naval construction program that began under the post-Franco-Prussian War fleet plan of 1872. At the time, theFrench Navy categorized itscapital ships as high-seas ships for the main fleet, station ironclads for use in theFrench colonial empire, and smallercoastal defense ships. TheBayard class was intended to serve in the second role, and they were based on the high-seas ironcladAmiral Duperré, albeit a scaled-down version.[1]
Turenne was 81.22 m (266 ft 6 in)long at the waterline, with abeam of 17.45 m (57 ft) and adraft of 7.49 m (24 ft 7 in). Shedisplaced 6,363 t (6,263long tons; 7,014short tons).[2] The crew numbered 20 officers and 430 enlisted men.[3] Her propulsion machinery consisted of twocompound steam engines driving a pair ofscrew propellers, with steam provided by eight coal-burningfire-tube boilers. Her engines were rated to produce 4,000indicated horsepower (3,000 kW) for a top speed of 14knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). To supplement the steam engines on long voyages overseas, she was fitted with afull-ship rig.[2][4]
Hermain battery consisted of four240 mm (9.4 in) M1870, 19-caliber guns mounted in individualbarbette mounts, two forward placed abreast and two aft, both on thecenterline. She carried a pair of 194 mm (7.6 in) guns, one in thebow and one in thestern aschase guns. These guns were supported by asecondary battery of six 138.6 mm (5.46 in) guns carried in acentral battery locatedamidships in the hull, three guns perbroadside. For defense againsttorpedo boats, she carried four 47 mm (1.9 in) 3-pounderHotchkiss revolver cannon and twelve 37 mm (1.5 in) 1-pounder Hotchkiss revolvers, all in individual mounts. Her armament was rounded out by a pair of 356 mm (14 in)torpedo tubes in above-water mounts. The ship was protected withwrought iron armor; herbelt was 150 to 250 mm (5.9 to 9.8 in) thick and extended for the entire length of thehull. The barbettes for the main battery were 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, and her main deck was 50 mm (2 in) thick.[2][4]
Construction ofTurenne began with herkeel laying on 1 March 1877 inLorient; her completed hull waslaunched on 16 October 1879, andfitting out work was completed in 1881, when she begansea trials that continued into the following year. She wascommissioned on 4 February 1882. She was thereafter placed inreserve, remaining there for the next two years.[6] The ship was recommissioned for active service in 1884.[5] On 16 February 1884,Turenne was involved in experiments with marinegyroscopes atBrest.[7]
The ship was deployed overseas in 1885 to join theEscadre de l'Extrême-Orient (Far East Squadron) to reinforce the unit during theSino-French War. Theunprotected cruisersMagon,Roland,Primauguet,Limier, andHugon, and severalgunboats and smaller craft were sent along withTurenne. She departed Brest on 21 February and stopped inAlgiers,French Algeria, on 3 March while en route. By 25 April, she had arrived on station inFrench Indochina, though a preliminary peace agreement had already been signed on 4 April, soTurenne saw no action during the war. Over the course of the ship's tour abroad over the next five years, she cruised extensively through East Asia, visiting numerous foreign ports,[8][9] and served as theflagship of the squadron.[10]
By 1889, the unit consisted ofTurenne, the flagship, the old unprotected cruiserVillars, theavisoChasseur, and the gunboatsVipère andAspic.Turenne embarked on her final such tour on 14 August 1889 in company withVipère, stopping inChefoo, China, and thenNagasaki, Japan, by 13 September. On 14 November, she visitedKobe, Japan, before returning to Chinese waters.Turenne metChasseur inHong Kong on 9 December. Five days later, the two ships departed to return to French Indochina, stopping first inAlong Bay on 17 December and then proceeding toSaigon on 4 January 1890. They arrived there four days later and immediately began preparations forTurenne to return to France. She departed on 30 January, stopping inSingapore,Colombo, andAden on the way. She reached theSuez Canal on 2 March, and after entering theMediterranean Sea, stopped inToulon, France, on 13 March. After staying there a week, she left forCherbourg.[8] She thereafter was placed in the second category of reserve, where she spent the next five years.[10]
The ship took part in a training exercise for naval reservists in mid-1891; around 3,700 men were called up to take part in familiarization training andTurenne was activated to participate, along with the coastal defense shipsVengeur,Tonnerre, andTonnant. They did not participate in formal maneuvers, and each vessel went to sea individually to train their crews.[11]Turenne was placed in commission for special service in 1894, along with the unprotected cruiserÉclaireur, the avisoVoltigeur, and the gunboatLèzard.[12] In 1896, the contemporary journalThe Naval Annual noted that the ship, along with the other station ironclads still in the French inventory, was "practically condemned" and would "shortly be struck off the list". She nevertheless remained in the navy's inventory as part of the second category of reserve, along with several old coastal defense ships and unprotected cruisers. They were retained in a state that allowed them to bemobilized in the event of a major war.[13] The French government struck a number of old vessels from the naval estimates beginning in 1899, removing funding allocated to keep them up.[14]Turenne was struck from thenaval register on 4 September 1900 and she was later placed for sale at Cherbourg in 1901.[10]