:French cruiser Troude

{{main|Troude-class cruiser}}

File:Troude-class cruiser plan and profile.jpg

Beginning in 1879, the French Navy's {{lang|fr|Conseil des Travaux}} (Council of Works) had requested designs for small but fast cruisers of about {{cvt|2000|t|0|lk=on}} displacement that could be used as scouts for the main battle fleet. The unprotected cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Milan||2}} was the first of the type, which was developed into the {{sclass|Forbin|cruiser|5}}-type of protected cruisers after the {{lang|fr|Conseil}} requested light armor protection for the ships. After the first two ships were ordered, the navy requested competing proposals from private shipyards, and the design from {{lang|fr|Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde}} was selected, which became the Troude class. In total, six ships were ultimately ordered, three per class; all were very similar. All of the ships were ordered by Admiral Théophile Aube, then the French Minister of Marine and an ardent supporter of the {{lang|fr|Jeune École}} doctrine; proponents of the concept favored the use of cruisers to attack an opponent's merchant shipping instead of a fleet of expensive battleships.{{sfn|Roberts|pp=247–249}}{{sfn|Ropp|pp=129–130, 172}}

Troude was {{cvt|95|m|ftin}} long at the waterline, with a beam of {{cvt|9.5|m|ftin}} and an average draft of {{cvt|4.27|m|0}}. She displaced {{cvt|1877|t}} as designed. Her crew amounted to 200 officers and enlisted men. The ship's propulsion system consisted of a pair of compound steam engines driving two screw propellers. Steam was provided by five coal-burning fire-tube boilers that were ducted into two funnels. Her machinery was rated to produce {{convert|6300|ihp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|20.5|kn|lk=in}}. At a more economical speed of {{convert|10|kn}}, the ship could steam for {{convert|2110|nmi|lk=in}}.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}

The ship was armed with a main battery of four {{cvt|138.6|mm}} 30-caliber guns in individual pivot mounts, all in sponsons located amidships with two guns per broadside. For close-range defense against torpedo boats, she carried four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss and four {{cvt|37|mm}} 1-pounder Hotchkiss revolver cannon. She was also armed with four {{cvt|356|mm|0}} torpedo tubes in her hull above the waterline, two in the bow and two further aft, one per broadside. She had provisions to carry up to 150 naval mines. Armor protection consisted of a curved armor deck that was {{cvt|40|mm}} thick, along with 40 mm plating on the conning tower. Above the deck, a cofferdam was intended to control flooding from battle damage.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}

Troude underwent a series of alterations during her career, primarily focused on updating her armament. In 1893–1894, Troude had her cofferdam replaced by a layer of highly sub-divided watertight compartments that covered the entire width of the deck. A number of other changes were also carried out, including reinforcing the sponsons for the main battery guns, altering the sailing rig, and converting the main battery to quick-firing guns (QF). The latter consisted of converted M1881/84 pattern guns. After November 1895, the bow torpedo tubes were removed. Her sailing rig was reduced in 1902. The light armament was standardized to nine 47 mm guns by 1904, and the remaining torpedo tubes were removed. By this time, her displacement had increased to {{cvt|2025|t}} at full load.{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}

File:Balearic Sea map.png

The contract for Troude was placed on 16 August 1886 with the Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde shipyard in Lormont. She was laid down eleven days later, the first member of her class to begin construction.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}} She was launched on 22 October 1888, was moved to Rochefort on 24–25 November for fitting-out, and was commissioned for sea trials on 6 December 1888. The ship's propulsion system proved to be troublesome during her trials, which lasted for more than two years.{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}} She completed trials on 18 December 1890,{{sfn|Ships: France|p=270}} and was accepted by the French Navy in January 1891,{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}} though she was not placed in full commission for active service until 5 January. On entering service, she was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron, the main French battle fleet, and she departed Rochefort on 15 February.{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}

By 1893, the unit also included several modern ironclad warships, the armored cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Dupuy de Lome||2}}, and four other protected cruisers, {{ship|French cruiser|Amiral Cécille||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Jean Bart||2}}, and her sister ships {{ship|French cruiser|Cosmao|1889|2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Lalande||2}}.{{sfn|Brassey 1893|p=70}} Troude was refitted extensively between OCtober 1893 and May 1894.{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}} By 1895, she had returned to the unit, by which time the fleet's cruiser division consisted of Troude, Lalande, Cosmao, and the protected cruisers {{ship|French cruiser|Tage||2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Suchet||2}}.{{sfn|Brassey 1895|p=50}} She took part in the fleet maneuvers that year, which began on 1 July and concluded on the 27th. She was assigned to "Fleet B", which along with "Fleet A" represented the French fleet, and was tasked with defeating the hostile "Fleet C", which represented the Italian fleet.{{sfn|Gleig|pp=195–196}}

She remained in the Mediterranean Squadron in 1896,{{sfn|Brassey 1896|p=62}} and she took part in that year's maneuvers as part of the cruiser screen for the 3rd Division. The maneuvers for that year took place from 6 to 30 July.{{sfn|Thursfield|pp=164–167}} Troude initially remained with the active units of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1897.{{sfn|Brassey 1897|p=57}} Later that year, she served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Édouard Pottier in the Levant Division at the start of the Cretan Revolt of 1897–1898.{{sfn|Robinson|p=187}} By 1898, the armored cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Amiral Charner||2}} had replaced Troude as the flagship, allowing the latter to return to France.{{sfn|Naval Notes: France|p=1092}} Troude served in the North Atlantic Division in 1900, along with Amiral Cécille and Suchet.{{sfn|Garbett|p=1026}} That year, she was placed out of service at Rochefort to be re-boilered; the work lasted until 1902.{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}

In 1903, the ship was reactivated and assigned to the Atlantic Squadron, which had previously been amalgamated with the Northern Squadron. At that time, the unit consisted of Tage, Troude, and the protected cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|D'Estrées||2}}.{{sfn|Brassey 1903|pp=58–60}} She operated as part of the Newfoundland and Iceland Naval Division in 1904 in company with the protected cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Lavoisier||2}}, which was tasked with patrolling fishing areas off the coast of North America.{{sfn|Meirat|p=21}} In 1905, she operated in the Atlantic Squadron with the armored cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Dupleix|1900|2}} and the protected cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Jurien de la Gravière||2}}.{{sfn|Brassey 1905|p=42}} On 1 July 1906, Troude was placed in the category of special reserve, and was struck from the naval register on 3 July 1907. She was placed for sale at Rochefort in 1907 or 1908 and thereafter broken up for scrap.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Roberts|p=249}}{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}}

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{{Troude-class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troude}}

Category:Troude-class cruisers

Category:Ships built in France

Category:1888 ships