French Warships built before 1859: Photo Gallery

The French wooden steam line of battle during its brief moment of glory. Shown are four steam 1st and 2nd rank ships of the line moored across from the citadel at Brest in August 1858 during the visit of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Photo by Alfred Bernier. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi04678)

Louis XIV, steam 1st rank ship of the line. Commissioned in 1857, she became gunnery training ship at Brest in 1861 and moved to Toulon as such in 1865. (Photo: Facebook by Yulen Hernandez on 15.10.2023)

Souverain, steam 1st rank ship of the line, probably drying hammocks while serving as a gunnery training ship at Toulon between 1876 and 1885. (Photo: Faceboook by Jean Fossati on 25.1.2026)

The launch of France's last and largest sailing three-decker, Valmy, at Brest on 25 September 1847. She was built on one of the four cales (shipways) de la Boucherie that were erected in the 1830s in an upriver extension of the arsenal that was fortified in 1777. This location is shown in this engraving behind the ship. Valmy became the training ship Borda (iii) in 1863. (Drawing: Facebook by Bertrand Magueur on 26.9.2025 from L'Illustration, 2 October 1847, p.80)

Borda (iii), ex sail 1st rank ship of the line Valmy. Listed as École des aspirants at Brest 1865-1879, then École des élèves to 1890. This ship can be distinguished from Borda (iv) by her three-level quarter galleries. Borda (i) was a 10-gun brig that became Observateur in 1839 when the 110-gun Commerce de Paris became Borda (ii). (Photo: Facebook by Yulen Hernandez on 3.10.2023)

Borda (iii), sail 1st rank ship of the line, at Brest. Listed as École des aspirants at Brest 1865-1879, then École des élèves to 1890. This ship can be identified by her three-level quarter galleries. Borda (i) was a 10-gun brig renamed Observateur in 1839 when the 110-gun Commerce de Paris became Borda (ii). (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi02144)

Bretagne (i), steam 1st rank ship of the line, being visited at Naples on 5 May 1862 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. Struck in 1866 after removal of her eight worn out boilers, she was listed in the annual fleet lists as Caserne des novices et apprentis marins at Brest 1873-1878 and then as École des novices et apprentis marins to 1880. (Drawing: Le Monde Illustré, 17 May 1862, p. 316)

Bretagne (i) on 25 May 1880 in the early stages of dismantlement at Brest near the cales (shipways) de la Boucherie where she was built in the 1850s upriver from the main arsenal. The 2nd class cruiser Nielly is being launched in the center of the view. Other ships from left to right are Vengeur in the foreground fitting out, Terrible and Amiral Baudin on the ways in temporary shiphouses, the prison hulk Veilleur ex Duguesclin, and in the distance Tonnerre. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi06385)

Naval school ships in the Brest roadstead in the 1880s. From top to bottom: Résolue (probably, sail frigate), Bretagne (ii) ex Ville de Bordeaux (ex steam 2-decker, see below), Borda (iii) ex Valmy (sail 3-decker), Bougainville (steam 2nd class aviso), and Souffleur (probably, paddle corvette used as a tug). (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi11382, also E. Mage album, Souvenir de Brest)

Naval school ships in the Brest roadstead in the 1880s with the tidal current going in the other direction. From top to bottom: Bretagne (ii) ex Ville de Bordeaux, Borda (iii) ex Valmy, and Bougainville. Note the square stern with three-level quarter galleries on Borda (iii) and the round stern with two high balconies on Bretagne (ii). (Photo: Postcard by Neurdein Frères)

Preparations at Brest to launch the steam 2nd rank ship of the line Impérial, probably on one of the four cales de la Boucherie upriver from the main arsenal. She was launched on 15 September 1856. The ship on the right has a port in the bow, probably for loading timber cargoes to supply the dockyard. Photo by Geneviève-Élisabeth Disdéri. (Photo: Wikimedia from George Eastman Museum)

Impérial, steam 2nd rank ship of the line of the later Napoléon class at Brest showing her full original armament. The canot impérial (imperial barge) is approaching in the foreground during the visit to Brest in August 1858 by Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. A steam harbor tug (possibly Élorn) is alongside with a canopy over her stern. From an album of 23 photos by Alfred Bernier presented to the imperial couple. (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée Bretagne FLMjo219104, inv. 2001.0034.23)

Bretagne (ii). Ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line Ville de Bordeaux with an additional deck, her original round stern, and two high balconies on it. Listed as École des novices et des apprentis marins at Brest 1880-1891. (Photo: Facebook by Navy General Board on 6.9.2025)

Bretagne (ii) ex Ville de Bordeaux at Brest as École des novices et des apprentis marins circa the early 1880s. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi06397)

Borda (iv). Ex transport Intrépide, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line. Listed as École navale at Brest 1890-1913. She has an additional deck and a round stern with two iron balconies. (Photo: Postcard by H. Laurent, Port-Louis)

Borda (iv) ex Intrépide alongside at Brest in 1911 as École navale with reduced rig. (Photo: BNF btv1b53111537d_1)

Algésiras. Ex transport, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line. Listed as École des torpilleurs at Toulon from 1889 (replacing the transport Japon). Decomm. 1898. École des mécaniciens torpilleurs 1901, accidentally burned 1906. (Photo: Postcard by A. Bougault)

Algésiras. Ex transport, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line. as École des torpilleurs at Toulon. Like Bretagne (ii) and Borda (iv) she has an additional deck and a round stern with two iron balconies. (Photo: Postcard by Giraud)

Hercule, sail 2nd rank ship of the line, at Brest in 1860. The first of the Tupinier 100-gunners, she was a prison hulk at Brest in 1860-1873. Photo by Geneviève-Élisabeth Disdéri. (Photo: Wikimedia from George Eastman Museum, also BNF btv1b10853079c)

Duquesne, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line, completed in 1854 and shown housed over on 16 May 1861 in a view of the new bridge at Recouvrance looking downstream towards the château. Duquesne was struck in 1867 and renamed Veilleur as a hulk in 1872. Photo by the Atelier photographique de l'arsenal de Brest. (Photo: Wikipedia from Musée NM Brest 2009-2-72-0611-4)

Bretagne (iii), ex transport Fontenoy, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line. Listed as École des mousses 1884-1910. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi02137)

Bretagne (iii), ex Fontenoy, alongside at Brest as École des mousses. (Photo: Postcard by ND)

Navarin, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line. Listed as Caserne école des torpilleurs 1887, Atelier de réparation de la direction des défenses sous-marines 1888, Caserne et atelier de la defense mobile to 1890, Batiment central de la defense mobile to 1905, and Service central de la 1re flottille de torpilleurs de l'Ocean to 1908 when replaced by Saône. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 3fi120-487)

Navarin, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line, as Bâtiment central de la defense mobile at Brest. Her equipment includes a small floating drydock for her torpedo boats. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi17938)

Tilsitt, ex steam 2nd rank ship of the line, as a barracks hulk at Saigon between 1877 and 1887. (Photo: Wikimedia, Tilsitt No. 8 from the Asie du Sud-Est et Monde Insulindien (ASEMI) collection at the Université Côte d’Azur)

Souveraine, ex steam 1st rank frigate, at Brest. Listed as École de matelotage 1872-1879 and, after relieving the transport Somme as batiment amiral, École de matelotage et batiment amiral to 1892. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 3fi017-005)

Souveraine, ex steam 1st rank frigate, at Brest. Listed as École de matelotage 1872-1879 and, after relieving the transport Somme as batiment amiral, École de matelotage et batiment amiral to 1892. (Photo: Wikipedia from Archives Finistère FRAD029 25FI 00001 10)

Pallas, steam 1st rank frigate, at anchor off Rio de Janeiro with all sails raised (possibly for drying) circa 1882. Photo by Marc Ferrez. (Photo: Facebook by Vladimir Yakubov 15.2.2020, from brasilianafotografica.bn.gov.br, from the Instituto Moreira Salles)

Guerrière, steam 1st rank frigate. This ship under Admiral Roze was the lead ship in the French campaign against Korea in 1866. Here she is shown in Nagasaki harbour circa 1865. (Photo: https://en-academic.com/pictures/enwiki/76/LaGuerriere.jpg)

Virginie, sail 2nd rank frigate, laid up at Brest on the left, probably before she was struck and converted to a provisions hulk in 1881. The two-decker ahead of her may be the training ship Jean Bart, ex Donawerth (steam, 90 guns). (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée Bretagne FLMjo273055)

Junon, steam 2nd rank frigate, on the ways at Brest on 27 January 1861 one day before her launching. Originally a near sister to Virginie, she was lengthened for the screw. Panoramic photo by the Atelier photographique de l'arsenal de Brest. (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée NM Brest 2009-2-169-a-0313-H)

Clorinde, steam 3rd rank frigate. (Photo: Facebook by Yulen Hernandez on 18.9.2023)

Favorite, sail 1st class corvette, just before launching as a transport on 14 May 1870. Laid down in 1849, she was first commissioned in 1878 as a corvette and became a sail training ship. (Photo: Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR_5_G_1100)

Cornélie, sail 1st class corvette, as bâtiment amiral at Rochefort after 1880 with the former chaloupe canonnière Fronde alongside as bâtiment d'arrière-garde. Cornélie was a sail training ship at Brest before moving to Rochefort in 1879. (Photo: Facebook by Andrey Myatishkin on 18.6.2022 and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR_5_G_144)

Cornélie, sail 1st class corvette, at Rochefort with two port service craft in the foreground, the gabare (lighter) Écrevisse ("Crayfish," 1884) and the older bugalet (Breton coaster) Crabe. (Photo: Facebook by Alexandru Ioniță on 18.1.2022 and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR_5_G_145)

Galathée, sail 1st class corvette. Listed as annexe to Borda, École des aspirants, to 1877, then annexe to Bretagne, École des novices, to 1892. Photo by Émile Mage. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi02193)

Entreprenant, ex sail 1st class brig, launched in 1849 and re-rigged with 3 masts as a sail transport in 1868. (Photo: USN NH 74954)

Nisus, sail 1st class brig launched in 1859 and re-rigged with 3 masts as a training ship ca. 1864. Listed as annexe, École des élèves/aspirants to 1873, annexe de l'Austerlitz, École des mousses 1875-1894, annexe de la Bretagne, École des mousses 1894-1913, and annexe de l'Armorique, École des mousses, 1913-14. (Photo: Shipscribe)

Janus, sail 1st class brig completed in 1860, re-rigged with 3 masts as a training ship in 1881-82, and listed as École des élèves, annexe du Borda 1883-1897. She is shown under sail as a Naval Academy training ship in the Brest roadstead in 1889 with the torpedo cruiser Condor and the ironclad Océan of the Escadre du Nord in the background. (Photo: Shipscribe)

Marne, auxiliary steam transport, as hulk. Listed as Caserne at Brest 1878-1891. Note that the funnel of this low-powered ship is aft of the mainmast. (Photo: USN NH 75904)

Yonne, auxiliary steam transport, as hulk. Listed as Ponton caserne at Lorient 1885-94, then bâtiment central de la défense mobile (replacing Bouledogue) to 1905, service central de la 2e flottille de torpilleurs de l'Océan to 1912, and then service central des torpilleurs de Lorient. (Photo: Postcard by H. Laurent, Port-Louis)

Ariège, auxiliary steam transport, iron hull, probably after her reconstruction at Lorient in 1873. (Photo: Facebook by Andrey Myatishkin on 18.5.2023 and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR_5_G_1)