french battleship pre dreadnought battleship french_navy ship keel laid completed years later design derived preceding class battleships heavier secondary battery thicker armour retained characteristic large french warships period caused stability issues completion assigned remained duration career participated annual fleet visits french ports mediterranean docked repairs march magazine explosion caused aged powder possible repair ship thought worth time expense hulk gunnery target sold scrap design designed request french des follow class ships qualities entirely satisfactory modified design heavier secondary battery thicker armour distributed slightly different manner increased displacement tonnes long tons comparison older ships retained pronounced cause stability problems general characteristics longer predecessors metres overall beam metres deep load draught metres forward metres aft slightly heavier class displaced metric tons long tons normally metric tons long tons load metric tons earlier ships fitted large reported roll considerably pitch heavily contradicted ship captain report november sea keeping point view excellent ship pitching rolling movements gentle ship rides waves propulsion vertical triple expansion steam engines built engine shaft shaft drove bladed propeller metres diameter wing shafts metres diameter center shaft engines powered belleville water tube boilers working pressure cm2 kpa psi engines rated total indicated horsepower produced ihp ship sea trials reached speed knots mph trials carried maximum tonnes long tons coal allowed steam nautical miles speed knots mph ship electrical power provided armament like class preceded carried main armament calibre canon modèle guns twin gun turrets fore aft guns fired kilogram projectiles rate round minute muzzle velocity gave range metres maximum elevation magazines stored shells gun hours fighting ship secondary armament consisted calibre canon modèle guns mounted individual casemates guns fired kilogram shells muzzle velocity maximum range metres total rounds carried hours fighting practical rounds minute gun carried calibre canon modèle guns shielded mounts shelter deck guns fired kilogram trained maximum range metres theoretical maximum rate fire rounds minute rounds minute sustained shells carried ensure hours fire guns metres waterline anti torpedo boat defences consisted calibre canon modèle hotchkiss guns fitted platforms masts superstructure fired kilogram maximum range metres theoretical maximum rate fire rounds minute seven rounds minute sustained shells kept magazines admiral criticized arrangements guns report number ready use rounds insufficient desperately slow guns large medium calibre guns fight night guns fire control system designed night operations needs corrected soon possible mounted millimetre torpedo tubes tubes submerged waterline modèle torpedoes carried training models armour complete waterline armour belt harvey armour metres high tapered maximum thickness covered metres amidships ship ends lower edge belt uniform thickness upper armour belt lower thick upper combined height metres amidships maximum thickness armoured deck fore aft armoured transverse bulkheads thick main turret armour ranged thickness roof ammunition shafts protected armour casemates guns thick ammunition tubes armour conning tower face armour sides thick roof protected layers armour thick communications tube protected armour history laid brest january authorized april launched september enter service april assigned sailed toulon days later route ship suffered number problems rudder docked repairs arrived destination completion repairs ship began series port visits france french north_africa repeated career participated fleet review naples april occasion visit president france king victor iii italy cruised levant calling april dispatched provide assistance naples eruption mount loss march moved dry dock toulon undergo maintenance hull inspection rudder shaft days later beginning continuing series explosions began port millimetre magazine devastated ship surrounding area ship dry dock initially impossible flood magazines commanding officer battleship moored nearby fired shell gate dry dock attempt flood shell gate dock finally flooded killed shortly afterward fragments ship managed open gates french battleship moored dock capsized strength origin explosion traced powder based ammunition tended unstable age self estimated contents ship magazines suspect powder time accident explosion loss lives including civilians killed fragments suburb las triggered major scandal dubbed gunpowder scandal french des result navy minister forced resign similar accident later caused loss french battleship disposal multiple explosions superstructure mainmast rear funnel collapsed superstructure surrounding mainmast ship frames ripped open lower edge armour belt machinery area destroyed estimated seven million years fully repair decided ship use target ship useful equipment removed towed target test effectiveness latest design armour piercing shells beginning august completion numerous tests close towed deeper water tow capsized sank december rights wreck sold subsequently broken salvaged
French battleship Iéna