French ironclad Armide
Encyclopedia
The French ironclad Armide was a wooden-hulled armored corvette
built for the French Navy
in the mid-1860s. Placed into reserve after completion, she was first mobilized for the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870–71. She spent the rest of her career in the Mediterranean and then in the Far East
as flagship of the French squadrons there, until her decommissioning in 1880. Armide was use as a target for gunnery trials in 1886.
s. Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram
.
Armide measured 68.9 metre between perpendiculars, with a beam
of 14.06 metre. She had a mean draft of 6.43 metre and displaced 3692 tonnes (3,633.7 LT). Her crew numbered 316 officers and men.
s. On sea trial
s the engine produced 1585 ihp and the ship reached 10.48 knots (5.7 m/s). Armide carried 250 metric tons (246.1 LT) of coal which allowed the ship to steam for 1310 nautical miles (2,426.1 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s). She was barque
-rigged and had a sail area of 1454 sqm.
ed out over the sides of the ship. The four 120 millimetres (4.7 in) guns were also mounted on the upper deck. She may have exchanged her Mle 1864 guns for Mle 1870 guns. The armor-piercing
shell of the 20-caliber
Mle 1870 gun weighed 165.3 pounds (75 kg) while the gun itself weighed 7.83 long tons (8 t). The gun fired its shell at a muzzle velocity
of 1739 ft/s (530 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 12.5 inches (31.8 cm) of wrought iron
armour at the muzzle. The guns could fire both solid shot
and explosive shells
.
waterline belt
, approximately 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) high. The sides of the battery itself were armored with 120 millimetres (4.7 in) of wrought iron and the ends of the battery were closed by bulkheads of the same thickness. The barbette armor was 100 millimetres (3.9 in) thick, backed by 240 millimetres (9.4 in) of wood. The unarmored portions of her sides were protected by 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) iron plates.
in 1865 and launched on 12 April 1867. The ship began her sea trial
s on 5 October 1867 and was put into reserve at Brest
immediately after their completion. She was commissioned on 20 July 1870 to serve with the Baltic Squadron during the Franco-Prussian War
. The squadron was ordered to lift its blockade of the Prussian Baltic ports on 16 September and return to Cherbourg. Armide was decommissioned on 1 November, but was recommissioned on 12 January 1871 to blockade the in Lisbon
for the duration of the war. Afterward she was transferred to the Mediterranean where she remained until 1873.
Armide was decommissioned on 28 October 1873 at Toulon and had her armament reduced to six guns. She was recommissioned as the flagship
of the Levant Squadron on 25 August 1874. On 19 September 1875 Armide was in Algiers
. The ship was reduced to reserve in December 1875 at Brest. She was recommissioned in 1877 as the flagship of the China Squadron under Rear Admiral Duburquois and departed Brest on 17 January 1878. She was relieved by her sister
on 22 January 1880 at Singapore
. She was decommissioned at Toulon on 17 March 1880 and condemned on 25 October 1882. Armide was used in gunnery trials in March 1886 and filled with watertight barrels to keep her from sinking. She was set adrift and fired at by a group of French ironclads at ranges up to 5000 metres (5,468.1 yd); she was towed back to port to examine the effects of the shells.
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
built for 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...
in the mid-1860s. Placed into reserve after completion, she was first mobilized for the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870–71. She spent the rest of her career in the Mediterranean and then in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
as flagship of the French squadrons there, until her decommissioning in 1880. Armide was use as a target for gunnery trials in 1886.
Design and description
The sIronclad is the all-encompassing term for armored warships of this period. Armored corvettes were originally designed for the same role as traditional wooden corvettes, but this rapidly changed as the size and expense of these ships caused them to be used as second-class armored ships. were designed as improved versions of the armored corvette suitable for foreign deployments. Unlike their predecessor the Alma-class ships were true central battery ironclads as they were fitted with armored transverse bulkheadBulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
s. Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
.
Armide measured 68.9 metre between perpendiculars, with a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 14.06 metre. She had a mean draft of 6.43 metre and displaced 3692 tonnes (3,633.7 LT). Her crew numbered 316 officers and men.
Propulsion
The ship had a single horizontal three-cylinder return connecting-rod steam engine driving a single four-bladed propeller. Her engine was powered by four Creusot oval boilerBoiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
s. On sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s the engine produced 1585 ihp and the ship reached 10.48 knots (5.7 m/s). Armide carried 250 metric tons (246.1 LT) of coal which allowed the ship to steam for 1310 nautical miles (2,426.1 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s). She was barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
-rigged and had a sail area of 1454 sqm.
Armament
Armide mounted her four 194 millimetres (7.6 in) Modèle 1864 breech-loading guns in the central battery on the battery deck. The other two 194 mm guns were mounted in barbettes on the upper deck, sponsonSponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
ed out over the sides of the ship. The four 120 millimetres (4.7 in) guns were also mounted on the upper deck. She may have exchanged her Mle 1864 guns for Mle 1870 guns. The armor-piercing
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
shell of the 20-caliber
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
Mle 1870 gun weighed 165.3 pounds (75 kg) while the gun itself weighed 7.83 long tons (8 t). The gun fired its shell at a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 1739 ft/s (530 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 12.5 inches (31.8 cm) of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
armour at the muzzle. The guns could fire both solid shot
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
and explosive shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
.
Armor
Armide had a complete 150 millimetres (5.9 in) wrought ironWrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
waterline belt
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
, approximately 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) high. The sides of the battery itself were armored with 120 millimetres (4.7 in) of wrought iron and the ends of the battery were closed by bulkheads of the same thickness. The barbette armor was 100 millimetres (3.9 in) thick, backed by 240 millimetres (9.4 in) of wood. The unarmored portions of her sides were protected by 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) iron plates.
Service
Armide was laid down at RochefortRochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
in 1865 and launched on 12 April 1867. The ship began her sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s on 5 October 1867 and was put into reserve at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
immediately after their completion. She was commissioned on 20 July 1870 to serve with the Baltic Squadron during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. The squadron was ordered to lift its blockade of the Prussian Baltic ports on 16 September and return to Cherbourg. Armide was decommissioned on 1 November, but was recommissioned on 12 January 1871 to blockade the in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
for the duration of the war. Afterward she was transferred to the Mediterranean where she remained until 1873.
Armide was decommissioned on 28 October 1873 at Toulon and had her armament reduced to six guns. She was recommissioned as the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Levant Squadron on 25 August 1874. On 19 September 1875 Armide was in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. The ship was reduced to reserve in December 1875 at Brest. She was recommissioned in 1877 as the flagship of the China Squadron under Rear Admiral Duburquois and departed Brest on 17 January 1878. She was relieved by her sister
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
on 22 January 1880 at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. She was decommissioned at Toulon on 17 March 1880 and condemned on 25 October 1882. Armide was used in gunnery trials in March 1886 and filled with watertight barrels to keep her from sinking. She was set adrift and fired at by a group of French ironclads at ranges up to 5000 metres (5,468.1 yd); she was towed back to port to examine the effects of the shells.