class cruiser class group armoured cruisers built french_navy 1890s designed smaller cheaper preceding design serving commerce raiders times war ships assigned island crete protect french interests citizens exceptions sister ships spent decade 20th century serving training ships reserve aided survivors devastating eruption island martinique transferred french ran aground chinese coast proved impossible destroyed place survivors escorted troop convoys french north_africa france months beginning world war august unlike sisters transferred atlantic support allied operations german colony september assigned blockaded ottoman controlled coast supported allied operations sunk early german submarine training ship late decommissioned decommissioned greece beginning recommissioned end war november service black_sea returned home sold scrap followed breakers years later design description class ships designed smaller cheaper preceding armored cruiser design like older ship intended fill commerce raiding strategy ships measured metres perpendiculars beam metres forward draught metres drew metres aft class displaced tonnes long tons normal load tonnes long tons deep load fitted prominent shaped ram bow ships wet forward generally felt reasonably good sea boats handled captains metacentric height deemed inadequate surviving ships military masts replaced lighter pole masts class ships horizontal triple expansion steam engines driving single propeller shaft steam engines provided belleville boilers working pressure cm2 kpa psi engines rated total metric horsepower forced draught engines powerful sister ships rated metric horsepower ships designed speed knots mph sea trials failed meet specified speed reaching maximum speeds knots mph metric horsepower carried tonnes long tons coal steam nautical miles speed knots mph armament ships class main armament consisted calibre canon modèle guns mounted single gun turrets fore aft superstructure turrets operated ships turrets electrically powered guns fired kilogram shells muzzle ranging metres second secondary armament comprised calibre canon modèle guns single gun turrets broadside kilogram shells fired muzzle metres second close range anti torpedo boat defense carried quick firing millimetre guns millimetre millimetre revolving hotchkiss guns armed millimetre torpedo tubes mounted broadside water protection class generally protected millimetres steel armor metres waterline metres centimetres tapered thickness armor ends ships millimetres curved protective deck mild steel thickness millimetres centerline increased millimetres outer edges protecting boiler rooms engine rooms magazines thin splinter deck watertight internal filled ran length ship protective deck height metres waterline protective deck ship divided watertight transverse bulkheads ship conning tower turrets protected millimeters armor ships service spent career mediterranean sent china boxer rebellion sisters ship assigned island crete protect french interests citizens exception sisters spent decade 20th century training ships reserve served atlantic_ocean mediterranean far_east world war aided survivors devastating eruption island martinique spent years crete protecting french interests region early 1910s transferred french ran aground chinese coast proved impossible destroyed place crew rescued loss surviving ships escorted troop convoys french north_africa france months beginning world war august assigned blockaded ottoman controlled coast supported allied operations time helped rescue thousand syria armenian genocide sunk early german submarine single survivor rescued lightly damaged ottoman shell providing naval gunfire support unlike sisters transferred atlantic support allied operations german colony september briefly assigned support allied operations dardanelles early began patrolling greek territorial waters training ship late decommissioned decommissioned greece beginning recommissioned end war november service black_sea returned home later reduced reserve sold scrap stricken navy list sold scrap
Amiral Charner-class cruiser