French ironclad Valeureuse

The French ironclad Valeureuse was one of 10 Provence-class ironclads built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) during the 1860s.

A scale model of sister ship Flandre
History
France
Name: Valeureuse
Namesake: Valorous
Builder: Arsenal de Brest
Laid down: 23 May 1861
Launched: 18 August 1864
Commissioned: 25 March 1867
Fate: Condemned, 9 December 1886
General characteristics
Class and type: Provence-class ironclad frigate
Displacement: 5,700–6,000 t (5,600–5,900 long tons)
Length: 80.72 m (264 ft 10 in)
Beam: 17 m (55 ft 9 in)
Draft: 7.7–8.8 m (25 ft 3 in–28 ft 10 in)
Installed power:
  • 8 boilers
  • 3,383 PS (2,488 kW) (trials)
Propulsion: 1 shaft, 1 horizontal-return connecting rod-steam engine
Sail plan: Barque-rig
Speed: 13.83 knots (25.61 km/h; 15.92 mph) (trials)
Range: 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 579–594
Armament: 11 × single 194 mm (7.6 in) smoothbore muzzle-loading guns
Armor:

Design and description
Right elevation line drawing of the class; the shaded area shows the armor protection

The Provence class was designed as an enlarged version of the Gloire-class ironclads with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities. The ships had an overall length of 80.72 meters (264 ft 10 in), with a beam of 17 meters (55 ft 9 in), and a draft of 7.7–8.8 meters (25 ft 3 in–28 ft 10 in), depending on the load. They displaced between 5,700–6,000 metric tons (5,600–5,900 long tons).[1] Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram.[2] They had a crew of 579–594 officers and enlisted men.[3]

The ships of the Provence class had a single horizontal-return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove a single propeller shaft,[4] using steam provided by eight boilers[Note 1].[3] The engine was rated at 1,000 nominal horsepower or 3,200 metric horsepower (2,400 kW) and was intended to give the ships a speed in excess of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). During her sea trials, Valereuse achieved a speed of 13.83 knots (25.61 km/h; 15.92 mph) from 3,383 metric horsepower (2,488 kW).[3] The Provence class carried enough coal to allow them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[5] They were fitted with a three-masted barque rig that had a sail area of 1,960 square meters (21,100 sq ft).[4]

Armament and protection

The main battery of the Provence-class ships was intended to be thirty 164.7-millimeter (6.5 in) Modèle 1858–60 rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns, but this was changed to eleven 194-millimeter (7.6 in) Modèle 1864 smoothbore muzzle-loading guns in 1865.[3][4][5] Ten of the guns were mounted on the broadside and one was on a pivot mount below the forecastle deck as a chase gun. Three years later, their armament was changed to eight 240-millimeter (9.4 in) RMLs and four 194 mm smoothbores.[3]

From the upper deck down to below the waterline, the sides of the ships were completely armored with 150 mm (5.9 in) of wrought iron. The sides of the battery itself were protected with 110 mm (4.3 in) of armor.[3] The conning tower's sides consisted of 102-millimeter (4 in) armor plates.[5]

Construction and service

Valeureuse (Valorous)[6] was laid down on 23 May 1861 by the Arsenal de Brest, launched on 18 August 1864 and commissioned on 25 March 1867.[3]

Notes
  1. Sources differ on the number of boilers. Gille states that all ships had eight, Campbell says nine and Silverstone says that all of the ships except Revanche had eight while that ship had nine.[2][3][5]

Citations
  1. Gille, pp. 26, 30
  2. Campbell, p. 287
  3. Gille, p. 30
  4. de Balincourt and Vincent-Bréchignac 1975, p. 10
  5. Silverstone, p. 62
  6. Silverstone, p. 114

Bibliography
  • de Balincourt, Captain; Vincent-Bréchignac, Captain (1975). "The French Navy of Yesterday: Ironclad Frigates: Second Group – Provence Type". F.P.D.S. Newsletter. III (2): 9–13. OCLC 41554533.
  • Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "France". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 282–333. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  • Gille, Eric (1999). Cent ans de cuirassés français [A Century of French Battleships] (in French). Nantes: Marines. ISBN 2-909-675-50-5.
  • Konstam, Angus (2019). European Ironclads 1860–75: The Gloire Sparks the Great Ironclad Arms Race. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-47282-676-3.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
  • Wilson, H. W. (1896). Ironclads in Action: A Sketch of Naval Warfare From 1855 to 1895. 1 and 2. Boston: Little, Brown.
  • Winfield, Rif & Roberts, Stephen S. (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail, 1786–1861. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.
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