D'Estrées-class cruiser
{{Short description|Protected cruiser class of the French Navy}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=December 2022}}
{{good article}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=French cruiser Infernet NH 64395.jpg |Ship caption=Infernet }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=Destrées |Builders= |Operators={{navy|France}} |Class before={{ship|French cruiser|Châteaurenault|1898|2}} |Class after={{ship|French cruiser|Jurien de la Gravière | 2}}
|Built range= |In service range= |In commission range= 1899–1922 |Total ships completed=2 |Total ships lost=1 |Total ships retired=1 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=Protected cruiser |Ship displacement={{cvt|2428|LT|t|lk=on}} |Ship length={{cvt|95|m|ftin}} loa |Ship beam={{cvt|12|m|ftin}} |Ship draft={{cvt|5.39|m|ftin}} |Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{convert|20|to|20.5|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range={{cvt|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{cvt|10|kn}} |Ship complement=235 |Ship armament=
|Ship armor=Deck: {{cvt|1.5|to|1.7|in|order=flip}} }} |
The D'Estrées class comprised two protected cruisers of the French Navy built in the late 1890s. The two ships were {{ship|French cruiser|D'Estrées||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Infernet||2}}, though a third was projected but was canceled before work began. They were ordered during a period of intense debate in the French fleet between officers who favored large armored cruisers and those who preferred smaller vessels more suited to long-distance cruising abroad. The D'Estrées-class cruisers were intended to operate in the French colonial empire. The ships were armed with a main battery of two {{cvt|138|mm}} guns supported by four {{cvt|100|mm}} guns and they had a top speed of {{convert|20|to|20.5|kn|lk=in}}.
D'Estrées and Infernet initially served in the Northern Squadron after entering service in the late 1890s, though they were quickly transferred elsewhere. D'Estrées went to the Atlantic station in 1902, while Infernet had been sent to French Madagascar by 1901. The latter ship then served a stint in the East Indies from 1903 to 1905, thereafter returning to France, where she was sold for demolition in 1910. D'Estrées was assigned to the 2nd Light Division at the start of World War I in August 1914 before being moved to the Syrian Division, where she took part in operations against Ottoman forces ashore. She patrolled the Red Sea and Indian Ocean from 1916 to the end of the war in 1918. D'Estrées was then sent to East Asia, where she served until being discarded in 1922.
Design
In the 1880s and 1890s, factions in the French Navy's officer corps argued over the types of cruiser that best served France's interests. Some argued for a fleet of small but fast protected cruisers for commerce raiding, another sought larger and more powerful armored cruisers that were useful for patrolling the country's colonial possessions, while another preferred vessels more suited to operations with the home fleet of battleships. In 1896, the {{lang|fr|Conseil supérieur de la Marine}} (Superior Naval Council) ordered the two cruisers of the D'Estrées class for the construction program that was to begin that year at the behest of the colonialists for use in the French overseas empire.{{sfn|Ropp|pp=284, 286}} A third member of the class, provisionally designated "K3", was authorized in 1897 but was not built; by that time, the French naval command had decided to build larger armored cruisers for all cruiser tasks, including colonial patrol duties.{{sfn|Fisher|pp=238–239}}
=Characteristics and machinery=
File:D'Estrees-class drawing.jpg]]
The two ships of the D'Estrées class were {{cvt|95|m|ftin}} long overall, with a beam of {{cvt|12|m|ftin}} and a draft of {{cvt|5.39|m|ftin}}. They displaced {{cvt|2428|LT|t|lk=on}}. Their crew numbered 235 officers and enlisted men.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}}
The ships' hulls included a ram bow and an overhanging stern, but unlike other French cruisers of the period, they lacked a double bottom or a longitudinal bulkhead. Below the waterline, they were covered with a layer of wood and copper sheathing to protect them from biofouling on extended voyages overseas, where they would not have reliable access to shipyard facilities. The ships had a flush deck and a minimal superstructure, consisting primarily of a small conning tower. They had three pole masts, though one was later removed from each vessel.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}}
The ships' propulsion system consisted of a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines driving two screw propellers. Each engine was placed in its own engine room, divided by a watertight bulkhead to prevent flooding from disabling both engines. Steam was provided by eight coal-burning Normand-type water-tube boilers that were ducted into two widely-spaced funnels. The boilers were divided into pairs in four boiler rooms.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}}{{sfn|Ships|pp=1007–1008}}
Their machinery was rated to produce {{convert|8500|ihp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|20|to|20.5|kn|lk=in}}. They carried {{cvt|345|t|LT|order=flip}} of coal for the boilers, and up to {{cvt|470|LT|t}} at full load,{{sfn|Fisher|p=239}}{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} which gave the ships a cruising radius of up to {{convert|8000|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}, according to the contemporary Journal of the Royal United Service Institution.{{sfn|Garbett 1904|p=563}} Warship International, citing the 1905 Marine Almanac, credits the class with a cruising radius of just {{cvt|4500|nmi}} at 10 knots.{{sfn|Fisher|p=239}}
=Armament and armor=
The ships were armed with a main battery of two Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893 naval gun 45-caliber guns. They were placed in individual pivot mounts with gun shields, one forward and aft on the centerline.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} They were supplied with a variety of shells, including solid, {{cvt|30|kg}} cast iron projectiles, and {{cvt|35|kg}} explosive armor-piercing (AP) and semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells, firing with a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|730|to|770|m/s}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=224}}
The main battery was supported by a secondary battery of four Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891, which were carried in sponsons in the hull. One pair was placed abreast the conning tower, and the other set of guns was located on either side of the rear funnel.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} The guns fired {{cvt|14|kg}} cast iron and {{cvt|16|kg}} AP shells with a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|710|to|740|m/s}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=225}}
For close-range defense against torpedo boats, the vessels carried eight QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss and two QF 1-pounder pom-pom. These were mounted in individual pivot mountings that were distributed along the length of the ship, some atop the upper deck and others firing through gun ports in the upper deck.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} The ships were also equipped with fourteen naval mines.{{sfn|Ships|p=1008}}
Armor protection consisted of a curved armor deck that was {{cvt|1.5|to|1.7|in|order=flip}} thick in the central portion of the ships, where it protected the propulsion machinery spaces and the ammunition magazines. The deck was reduced in thickness toward the bow and stern, falling to {{cvt|20|mm}}. Above the deck at the sides, a cofferdam filled with cellulose was intended to contain flooding from damage below the waterline.{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}}
Construction
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data |
| scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Laid down{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} ! scope="col" | Launched{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}} ! scope="col" | Completed{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} ! scope="col" | Shipyard{{sfn|Campbell|p=313}} |
|---|
| scope="row" | {{ship|French cruiser|D'Estrées||2}}
| March 1897 | 27 October 1897 | 1899 | {{lang|fr|Arsenal de Rochefort}}, Rochefort |
| scope="row" | {{ship|French cruiser|Infernet||2}}
| December 1896 | 7 September 1899 | 1900 | {{lang|fr|Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde}}, Lormont |
| scope="row" | K3{{sfn|Fisher|p=239}}
| — | — | — | — |
Service history
File:French cruiser D'Estrees NH 83051.jpg in around 1920, seen from astern]]
D'Estrées served in the Northern Squadron after her completion in 1899,{{sfn|Leyland 1900|p=64}} where she was joined by Infernet by early 1901.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse 2017|p=218}} The latter vessel was transferred to French Madagascar later in 1901,{{sfn|Leyland 1901|p=76}} and in 1902, D'Estrées was reassigned to the Atlantic Training Division.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse 2019|p=74}} She remained there for the next several years, though the unit went through a series of name changes and reorganizations.{{sfn|Brassey 1903|pp=58–60}}{{sfn|Garbett 1903|p=944}} Infernet was moved again in 1903, this time to the East Indies to protect French interests in the region. She returned to France in 1905. In 1908, D'Estrées was sent to patrol the West Indies, and by that time, the Atlantic Division had been merged into the Northern Squadron.{{sfn|Brassey 1908|pp=49, 51–52}}{{sfn|Garbett 1908|p=100}} Infernet{{'}}s career was cut short when she was stricken on 9 March 1910,{{sfn|Roche|}} and subsequently sold for demolition; she was stranded off Les Sables-d'Olonne on 16 November 1910 on delivery to the scrapyard in Germany and broken up in situ.{{sfn|Roche|}}{{cite news|title=Maritime Intelligence|date=18 November 1910|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001941/19101118/159/0008|newspaper=Shipping & Mercantile Gazette and Lloyd's List|page=8}}{{cite news|title=Maritime Intelligence|date=22 November 1910|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001941/19101122/146/0011|newspaper=Shipping & Mercantile Gazette and Lloyd's List|page=11}}{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}}
At the start of World War I in August 1914, D'Estrées was initially assigned to the 2nd Light Squadron, which was based in the English Channel, but was quickly transferred to reinforce the Syrian Division for operations against the Ottoman Empire.{{sfn|Meirat|p=22}}{{sfn|Corbett|p=369}} D'Estrées bombarded Ottoman positions along the Syrian coast and helped to enforce a blockade there. She also assisted in the evacuation of some 4,000 Armenians from Antakya on 12 and 13 September, along with several other French cruisers.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse 2019|p=235}}{{sfn|Reynolds, Churchill, & Trevelyan|p=505}} She was moved to the Red Sea in 1916, where she patrolled for the German commerce raider {{SMS|Wolf|1916|6}}, which was known to be operating in the Indian Ocean. She remained in the region for the rest of the war, though she saw no further action.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse 2019|pp=235–236, 240, 247}}{{sfn|Smigielski|p=194}}{{sfn|Guilliatt & Hohnen|p=192}} After the war, she was sent to French Indochina, where she spent the remainder of her career. D'Estrées was struck from the naval register in 1922 and broken up.{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}}
Notes
{{reflist|20em}}
References
{{Commons category}}
- {{cite journal
|last=Brassey
|first=Thomas A.
|author-link=Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
|title=Chapter III: Relative Strength
|journal=The Naval Annual
|year=1903
|location=Portsmouth
|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
|pages=57–68
|oclc=496786828
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9pBIAQAAMAAJ
|ref={{SfnRef|Brassey 1903}}
}}
- {{cite journal
|last=Brassey
|first=Thomas A.
|title=Chapter III: Comparative Strength
|journal=The Naval Annual
|year=1908
|location=Portsmouth
|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
|pages=48–57
|oclc=496786828
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJBIAQAAMAAJ
|ref={{SfnRef|Brassey 1908}}
}}
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| editor1-last = Gardiner
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| year = 1979
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| publisher = Conway Maritime Press
| location = London
| isbn = 978-0-85177-133-5
| ref = {{SfnRef|Campbell}}
| url-access = registration
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|ref={{SfnRef|Fisher}}
|location=Toledo
|publisher=International Naval Research Organization
}}
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| authorlink=Norman Friedman
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| publisher = Naval Institute Press
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|pages=941–946
|oclc=1077860366
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|editor-first=H.
|title=Naval Notes: France
|journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
|date=May 1904
|volume=XLVIII
|number=315
|location=London
|publisher=J. J. Keliher & Co.
|pages=560–566
|oclc=1077860366
|ref={{SfnRef|Garbett 1904}}
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|editor-last=Garbett
|editor-first=H.
|title=Naval Notes: France
|journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
|date=January 1908
|volume=LLI
|number=359
|location=London
|publisher=J. J. Keliher & Co.
|pages=100–103
|oclc=1077860366
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRhjCSPB348C
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}}
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|date=2019
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|last=Leyland
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|editor-last=Brassey
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|title=Chapter III: Comparative Strength
|journal=The Naval Annual
|year=1900
|location=Portsmouth
|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
|pages=63–70
|oclc=496786828
|ref={{SfnRef|Leyland 1900}}
}}
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|last1=Leyland
|first1=John
|title=Chapter II: The Progress of Foreign Navies
|journal=The Naval Annual
|year=1901
|location=Portsmouth
|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
|pages=33–70
|oclc=496786828
|name-list-style=amp
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJFIAQAAMAAJ
|ref={{SfnRef|Leyland 1901}}
}}
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|last=Meirat
|first=Jean
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|title=Details and Operational History of the Third-Class Cruiser Lavoisier
|journal=F. P. D. S. Newsletter
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|oclc=41554533
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}}
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|editor-last1=Reynolds
|editor-first1=Francis J.
|editor-last2=Churchill
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|editor-first3=Francis Trevelyan
|title=The Story of the Great War: History of the European War from Official Sources
|year=1916
|volume=III
|location=New York
|publisher=P.F. Collier & Son
|oclc=633621894
|ref={{SfnRef|Reynolds, Churchill, & Trevelyan}}
}}
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|last=Roberts
|first=Stephen
|title=French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914
|year=2021
|location=Barnsley
|publisher=Seaforth
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|ref={{sfnref|Roberts}}
}}
- {{cite book
|last = Roche
|first = Jean-Michel
|title = Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours
|date = 2005
|volume = II, 1870-2006
|publisher = Rezotel-Maury
|edition = 2013
|isbn = 978-2-9525917-3-7
|location = Millau
|language= fr
|ref = {{sfnref|Roche}}
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Ropp
| first = Theodore
|authorlink=Theodore Ropp
| title = The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871–1904
| editor-last = Roberts
| editor-first = Stephen S.
| year = 1987
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|title=Ships
|journal=Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers
|date=November 1899
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}}
- {{cite book
|last=Smigielski
|first=Adam
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|pages=190–220
|editor1-last=Gardiner
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|editor2-last=Gray
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|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
|year=1985
|location=Annapolis
|publisher=Naval Institute Press
|isbn=978-0-87021-907-8
|name-list-style=amp
| url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_z3o0
| ref = {{SfnRef|Smigielski}}
}}
{{D'Estrées class cruiser}}
{{French protected cruisers}}
{{WWI French ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Destrees class cruiser}}