French ship Ville de Nantes

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Ville-de-Nantes Vaisseau France 90 canons 1858.jpg
Launching of Ville de Nantes, by Louis Le Breton
History
Second French Empire
NameVille de Nantes
NamesakeNantes
Ordered3 April 1854
BuilderArsenal de Cherbourg
Laid down20 June 1854
Launched7 August 1858
CompletedOctober 1860
Commissioned25 October 1860
In service1862
Stricken28 November 1872
FateSold for Scrap, 1887
General characteristics (as of 1863)
Class and type Ville de Nantes-class
Displacement5,121 t (5,040 long tons)
Length71.76 m (235 ft 5 in) (waterline)
Beam16.8 m (55 ft 1 in)
Draught8.45 m (27 ft 9 in) (full load)
Depth of hold8.16 m (26 ft 9 in)
Installed power8 boilers; 3,600 PS (2,600 kW)
Propulsion1 screw; 2 steam engines
Sail planShip rigged
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement913
Armament

Ville de Nantes was a second-rank, 90-gun, steam-powered ship of the line built for the French Navy in the 1850s, lead ship of her class of three ships. The ship was in reserve most of her career and served as a prison ship for Communard prisoners in 1871–1872 after the Paris Commune was crushed by the French government. She was sold for scrap in 1887.

Description[]

The Ville de Nantes-class ships were repeats of the preceding ship of the line Algésiras class and were also designed by naval architect Henri Dupuy de Lôme. They had a length at the waterline of 71.76 metres (235 ft 5 in), a beam of 16.8 metres (55 ft 1 in) and a depth of hold of 8.16 metres (26 ft 9 in). The ships displaced 5,121 tonnes (5,040 long tons) and had a draught of 8.45 metres (27 ft 9 in) at deep load. Their crew numbered 913 officers and ratings.[1]

The Ville de Nantes class were powered by a pair of four-cylinder steam engines that drove the single propeller shaft using steam provided by eight boilers. The engines were rated at 900 nominal horsepower[1] and produced 3,600 indicated horsepower (3,600 PS; 2,700 kW) for a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[2] The ships were fitted with three masts and ship rigged with a sail area of 2,730 square metres (29,400 sq ft).[1]

The armament of the Ville de Nantes-class ships consisted of twenty-four 30-pounder (164.7 mm (6.5 in)) smoothbore cannon and ten 163 mm (6.4 in) rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns on the lower gundeck. On the upper gundeck were twenty-four 30-pounder cannon and ten 223.3 mm (8.8 in) Paixhans guns. On the quarterdeck and forecastle were six 164.7 mm (6.5 in) Paixhans guns and four 163 mm MLR guns.[3]

Career[]

Ville de Nantes conducted trials in 1860 until, in December, she was used as a transport to ferry troops to Brest. Her engine having broke down, she conducted repairs until July 1861, after which she conducted trials until 1862.[2]

After the Paris Commune, Ville de Nantes was used as a prison hulk in Cherbourg. She was eventually broken up in 1887.[2]

Citations[]

  1. ^ a b c Winfield & Roberts, p. 70
  2. ^ a b c Roche, p. 469
  3. ^ Winfield & Roberts, p. 71

References[]

  • Jones, Colin (1996). "Entente Cordiale, 1865". In McLean, David & Preston, Antony (eds.). Warship 1996. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-685-X.
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. Tome I: 1671–1870. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
  • Winfield, Rif & Roberts, Stephen S. (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.
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