Английская Википедия:Descartes-class cruiser
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Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship class overviewШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsThe Descartes class comprised two protected cruisers of the French Navy built in the early 1890s; the two ships were Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship. They were ordered as part of a naval construction program directed at France's rivals, Italy and Germany, particularly after Italy made progress in modernizing its own fleet. The plan was also intended to remedy a deficiency in cruisers that had been revealed during training exercises in the 1880s. As such, the Descartes-class cruisers were intended to operate as fleet scouts and in the French colonial empire. The ships were armed with a main battery of four Шаблон:Cvt guns supported by ten Шаблон:Cvt guns and they had a top speed of Шаблон:Convert.
Descartes and Pascal were initially sent to French Indochina in the late 1890s, where they participated in the campaign to suppress the Boxer Uprising in Qing China. Descartes was recalled to France in 1902 to serve in the Atlantic Division while Pascal remained in East Asia, serving until 1904 when she was deactivated due to poor condition. Descartes was sent back to East Asia in 1905 and later to French Madagascar before returning to France in 1907, thereafter serving with the main French fleets in the Mediterranean Sea and English Channel. Pascal was sold to ship breakers in 1911, while Descartes served another stint in the Atlantic Division. She remained there during the first three years of World War I before returning to France in 1917, where she was disarmed and decommissioned. She was struck from the naval register in 1920 and was sold for scrap the following year.
Background
In the late 1880s, the Italian Шаблон:Lang (Royal Navy) accelerated construction of ships for its fleet and reorganized the most modern ironclad battleships—the Шаблон:Sclass and Шаблон:Sclasses—into a fast squadron suitable for offensive operations. These developments provoked a strong response in the French press. The Budget Committee in the French Chamber of Deputies began to press for a "two-power standard" in 1888, which would see the French fleet enlarged to equal the combined Italian and German fleets, then France's two main rivals on the continent. This initially came to nothing, as the supporters of the Шаблон:Lang doctrine called for a fleet largely based on squadrons of torpedo boats to defend the French coasts rather than an expensive fleet of ironclads. This view had significant support in the Chamber of Deputies.Шаблон:Sfn
The next year, a war scare with Italy led to further outcry to strengthen the fleet. To compound matters, the visit of a German squadron of four ironclads to Italy confirmed French concerns of a combined Italo-German fleet that would dramatically outnumber their own. Training exercises held in France that year demonstrated that the slower French fleet would be unable to prevent the faster Italian squadron from bombarding the French coast at will, in part because it lacked enough cruisers (and doctrine to use them) to scout for the enemy ships.Шаблон:Sfn
To correct the weaknesses of the French fleet, on 22 November 1890, the Superior Council authorized a new construction program directed not at simple parity with the Italian and German fleets, but numerical superiority. In addition to twenty-four new battleships, a total of seventy cruisers were to be built for use in home waters and overseas in the French colonial empire. The Descartes class were ordered to as part of the program.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Design
To meet the requirements for new cruisers for overseas deployments, the French naval minister, Édouard Barbey, issued a request on 4 November 1890 for design proposals similar to the older Шаблон:Sclass and Шаблон:Sclasses. Barbey laid out his requirements for the Шаблон:Lang (Council of Works), which included a maximum displacement of Шаблон:Cvt, a speed of at least Шаблон:Convert at natural draft, and a cruising radius of Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert with a normal load of coal (and up to Шаблон:Cvt with a maximum load). Armament was set at four Шаблон:Cvt guns and ten Шаблон:Cvt guns, and the ship was to be protected by deck consisting of a pair of Шаблон:Cvt layers. The new ships were to incorporate a barque sailing rig for extended voyages overseas. The Шаблон:Lang made several alterations, including increasing the speed and cruising radius, which necessitated a displacement of around Шаблон:Cvt. Barbey approved their recommendations and requested proposals from several shipyards on 3 February 1891.Шаблон:Sfn
Five shipyards submitted proposals to meet Barbey's requirements by mid-1891, and the Шаблон:Lang reviewed the submissions during a meeting on 31 July. They chose two—one from Marie de Bussy, then working for Шаблон:Lang, and the other from the government naval constructor Joseph Louis Tissier—for further refinement. De Bussy's design was in general arrangement and enlarged version of the cruiser Шаблон:Ship, with the same hull lines, with roughly the same length to beam ratio. The Шаблон:Lang selected de Bussy's design, but made a number of alterations to it, including increasing the scale of armor protection, as well as replacing the planned Lagrafel d'Allest water-tube boilers with Belleville models, as they would provide a superior internal arrangement. Tissier's proposal eventually became the Шаблон:Sclasss.Шаблон:Sfn
During construction, a number of changes to the design were introduced. They were initially to have carried a pair of Шаблон:Cvt torpedo tubes, but on 14 June 1893, Henri Rieunier, who was then the naval minister, ordered they be replaced with Шаблон:Cvt versions. A year later, on 9 June, the naval minister Félix Faure ordered the military masts be replaced with lighter pole masts to save weight. Several alterations were done to Descartes only, including lengthening the forecastle deck to add crew berthing and shortening her funnels, which caused her to roll excessively. Both ships were insufficiently ventilated, which did not lend them to the lengthy deployments to tropical French Indochina during their careers; they were also cramped ships. They were nevertheless well regarded by foreign contemporaries, particularly for the efficient arrangement of their armament and their seakeeping abilities.Шаблон:Sfn
General characteristics and machinery
The two Descartes-class cruisers were Шаблон:Cvt long between perpendiculars, Шаблон:Cvt long at the waterline, and Шаблон:Cvt long overall. They had a beam of Шаблон:Cvt and an average draft of Шаблон:Cvt, which increased to Шаблон:Cvt aft. They displaced Шаблон:Cvt as designed. Like most French warships of the period, the Descartes-class cruisers' hulls had a tumblehome shape, a short forecastle deck, and a pronounced ram bow that was not reinforced to be used for ramming attacks. Below the waterline, the hulls were covered in a layer of wood and copper sheathing to protect them from biofouling on long voyages overseas. The sheathing extended up the sides of the hulls Шаблон:Cvt above the waterline. The ships had a minimal superstructure, consisting primarily of a small conning tower and a bridge. They were fitted with pole masts with spotting tops for observation and signaling purposes. The ships suffered from stability problems and had to have ballast added after completion. Their crew varied over the course of her career, and consisted of 383–401 officers and enlisted men.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
The ships' propulsion system consisted of a pair of 4-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines driving two screw propellers. Steam was provided by sixteen coal-burning Belleville-type water-tube boilers that were ducted into two funnels. Their machinery was rated to produce Шаблон:Convert for a top speed of Шаблон:Convert, but in service, both ships exceeded these figures. Descartes reached Шаблон:Convert from Шаблон:Cvt, while Pascal made Шаблон:Convert from Шаблон:Cvt. Coal storage amounted to Шаблон:Cvt,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn which gave the ships a cruising radius of Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert and Шаблон:Cvt at 19.5 knots.Шаблон:Sfn
Armament and armor
Pascal armed with a main battery of four [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|Шаблон:Cvt Modèle 1893]] 45-caliber guns, while Descartes received a mix of three M1887 and one M1891 pattern guns of the same caliber.Шаблон:Sfn They were placed in individual sponsons clustered amidships, two guns per broadside.Шаблон:Sfn The arrangement kept the significant weight of the guns from the ends of the ship but still allowed two guns to fire ahead or astern.Шаблон:Sfn They were supplied with a variety of shells, including solid, Шаблон:Cvt cast iron projectiles, and explosive armor-piercing (AP) and semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells that weighed Шаблон:Cvt and Шаблон:Cvt, respectively. The guns fired with a muzzle velocity of Шаблон:Cvt.Шаблон:Sfn
The main battery was supported by a secondary battery of ten [[Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891|Шаблон:Cvt Modèle 1891]] 45-cal. guns, which were carried in a variety of mounts. Two guns fitted with gun shields were placed side-by-side on the upper deck, four more were in the upper deck forward in casemates. Another pair of guns were in sponsons further aft, and the remaining pair were in pivot mounts on the upper deck aft. The sides of the ships were recessed to allow the primary and secondary guns to fire directly ahead or astern,Шаблон:Sfn so that six 100 mm guns could be brought to bear ahead and four aft over limited arcs.Шаблон:Sfn The guns fired Шаблон:Cvt cast iron and Шаблон:Cvt AP shells with a muzzle velocity of Шаблон:Cvt.Шаблон:Sfn
For close-range defense against torpedo boats, they carried eight [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|Шаблон:Cvt M1885 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns]] and four [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|Шаблон:Cvt M1885 1-pounder guns]]. These were all in single pivot mounts, distributed along the length of the ships. They were also armed with two Шаблон:Cvt torpedo tubes in her hull above the waterline.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
Armor protection consisted of an extra-mild steel curved armor deck that sloped down at the sides to provide a measure of protection against incoming fire. The flat portion was Шаблон:Cvt thick on the flat portion, layered on top of Шаблон:Cvt of deck plating. On the sloped sides, the deck increased to Шаблон:Cvt on the upper portion and tapering to Шаблон:Cvt on the lower edge, also on 10 mm of plating. Descartes was fitted with a 10 mm splinter deck below the main deck and above the propulsion machinery spaces to protect them from shell fragments that penetrated the main deck, but Pascal was not similarly protected.Шаблон:Sfn Above the deck, a cellular layer of watertight compartments was intended to contain flooding below the waterline.Шаблон:Sfn The compartments would also be used to store coal, which provided additional protection to the ships' machinery spaces. The gun shields for the deck-mounted 100 mm guns were Шаблон:Cvt thick. The ships had Шаблон:Cvt plating on the sides of the conning tower, though Descartes received an additional 10 mm layer of steel plating for her tower.Шаблон:Sfn
Construction
| Name | Laid downШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn | LaunchedШаблон:Sfn | CommissionedШаблон:Sfn | ShipyardШаблон:Sfn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Шаблон:Ship | January 1893 | 27 September 1894 | 12 February 1896 | Шаблон:Lang, Saint-Nazaire |
| Шаблон:Ship | 4 December 1893 | 26 September 1895 | 20 May 1896 | Шаблон:Lang, Toulon |
Service history
Descartes and Pascal were deployed to French Indochina after entering service in 1897, though Pascal did not leave France until after completing her sea trials by January 1898. Both ships were present during the Boxer Uprising in Qing China; they were among the vessels France contributed to the Eight-Nation Alliance that defeated the Boxers in the early 1900s.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Descartes returned to France in 1902, when she joined the Atlantic Division,Шаблон:Sfn though Pascal remained in East Asia. PascalШаблон:'s condition deteriorated after several years abroad, where the French lacked sufficient shipyard facilities, and by 1904, her engines could no longer reach her design speed. She saw little further use thereafter, in part because the French Navy had settled on building a fleet of armored cruisers to fulfill the roles that the Descartes class had been intended to fill.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn She was struck from the naval register in 1911 and later broken up.Шаблон:Sfn
In the meantime, Descartes was sent on a second deployment to East Asia in 1905. She had been transferred to French Madagascar by 1907,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn and later that year, she returned France to join the Mediterranean Squadron.Шаблон:Sfn Descartes was then transferred to the Northern Squadron.Шаблон:Sfn By 1914, the ship was operating with the Atlantic Division; she was patrolling in Central American waters and was slated to return to France when World War I started in July. She instead remained in the region and joined the French and British vessels searching for the German light cruiser Шаблон:SMS that was attacking merchant shipping in the area, though they failed to locate her. Descartes spent the next three years patrolling the West Indies, seeing no action. After returning home in 1917, she was decommissioned and disarmed, her guns being used as field artillery and to arm patrol vessels. She was struck from the naval register in 1920,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn and she was sold to ship breakers the following year.Шаблон:Sfn
Notes
References
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