The Destrées was a protected cruiser

Protected cruiser

The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...

 of the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

, named in honour of Victor-Marie d'Estrées

Victor-Marie d'Estrées

Victor Marie d'Estrées, count then duke d'Estrées was a Marshal of France.-Biography:...

, and lead ship of her class

Destrées class cruiser

The Destrées class was a type of protected cruiser of the French Navy, built in the late 1890s and which operated during the First World War.- Sources and references :...

.

After her trials in 1900, Destrées was sent to Brest, where she was used for training.

At the outbreak of the First World War, she was appointed to the 2nd light cruiser squadron in the Channel, before being sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in 1915.

On 30 April, she reached Port Said

Port Said

Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...

 and was tasked with the defence of the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

. In September, she took part in rescue operations to save people from the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

.

After the War, she was sent to the Far East.

Struck in 1923, she was used as a support ship in Toulon before being sold for scrap.