french ironclad alma french ironclad alma wooden armored corvette built french_navy late 1860s lead ship class named battle alma war ship spent early career later supported french occupation tunisia condemned sold design description alma class ironclads designed improved versions armored corvette suitable foreign deployments unlike predecessor alma class ships true central battery ironclads fitted armored transverse bulkheads like ironclads era equipped metal reinforced ram alma measured meters perpendiculars beam meters mean draft meters displaced metric tons long tons propulsion ship single horizontal return connecting rod steam engine driving single propeller engine powered oval boilers sea trials engine produced indicated horsepower ship reached knots mph alma carried metric tons long tons coal allowed ship steam nautical miles speed knots mph barque rigged sail area square meters armament alma mounted millimeter modèle breech loading guns central battery battery deck guns mounted barbettes upper deck sides ship millimeter guns mounted upper deck later exchanged guns newer guns armor piercing shell caliber gun weighed pounds gun weighed long tons gun fired shell muzzle velocity credited ability penetrate nominal inches wrought iron armour muzzle guns fire solid shot explosive shells armor alma complete millimeter wrought iron waterline belt approximately meters high sides battery armored millimeters wrought iron ends battery closed bulkheads thickness barbette armor millimeters thick backed millimeters wood portions sides protected millimeter iron plates service alma laid october launched november ship began sea trials august enter service following year sailing brest added protect armor commissioned flagship command rear admiral ship departed brest june grounded july lost false keel start franco prussian war alma blockaded prussian japanese port mid december end war august alma rode typhoon relieved august reached toulon january ship assigned october reserve alma recommissioned march assigned july ship bombarded port french occupation tunisia reduced reserve january ship condemned march alma sold
French ironclad Alma