French Frigates and Smaller Types to 1859: Photo Gallery

Souveraine, French steam 1st rank frigate, as a training ship 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, French steam 1st rank frigate, as a training ship 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)

Guerrière, French 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. She was converted into a transport in 1868-69. (Photo: en-academic.com/pictures/enwiki/76/ LaGuerriere.jpg)

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

Virginie, French sail 2nd rank frigate, Artémise class, laid up at Brest on the left, probably as a transport 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). See 1786-1861 book pages 111-112. (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée Bretagne FLMjo273055)

Junon, French steam 2nd rank frigate, Hermione class, on the ways at Brest on 27 January 1861 one day before her launching. Originally a near sister to Virginie, she was one of nine frigates selected in 1858 for conversion to steam with powerful engines. This panoramic photo was taken by the Atelier photographique de l'arsenal de Brest. (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée NM Brest 2009-2-169-a-0313-H)

Thémis, French steam 2nd rank frigate, Magicienne class. Begun in 1847, this ship was another of the nine selected in 1858 for conversion to steam with powerful engines. She completed conversion in 1862. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74985 from ONI album of French warships)

Clorinde, French steam 3rd rank frigate. Her small engines were installed in 1861. (Photo: Private digital collection)

Favorite, French 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. See 1786-1861 book pages 193-194. (Photo: Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-1100)

Cornélie, French sail 1st class corvette, at Rochefort serving as Bâtiment amiral with two port service craft in the foreground, the gabare (lighter) Écrevisse ("Crayfish," built in 1884) and the older bugalet (Breton coaster) Crabe. See 1786-1861 book pages 193-194. (Photo: Private digital collection and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-145)

Galathée, French sail 1st class corvette, as a sail training ship at Brest. Listed as annexe to Borda, École des aspirants, to 1877, then annexe to Bretagne, École des novices, to 1892. Photo by Émile Mage. See 1786-1861 book page 193. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2fi02193)

Entreprenant, French sail 1st class brig, launched in 1849, at Algiers after being re-rigged with 3 masts as a sail transport in 1868. See 1786-1861 book page 235. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74954)

Nisus, French sail 1st class brig, launched in 1859, after being re-rigged with 3 masts as a training ship at Brest ca. 1864. She was 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. See 1786-1861 book pages 231-233. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)

Janus, French sail 1st class brig, completed in 1860, after being re-rigged with 3 masts as a training ship at Brest in 1881-82. She was 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. See 1786-1861 book pages 231-233. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)

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

Yonne, auxiliary steam transport, as a hulk at Lorient. 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, at Rochefort probably after her reconstruction at Lorient in 1873. (Photo: Private digital collection and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-1)