Squadron Battleships: Photo Gallery (1a)

Gloire (Ironclad frigate, wood hull). Note the conning tower forward of the mizzen mast, the two-decker behind her to the left and the paddle steamer to the right. (Photo: Facebook by G. A. van der Horst on 23.5.2022)

Magenta (Ironclad two-decker, wood hull). Sister Solferino is behind her. (Photo on card by Maison Rideau, Cherbourg)

In 1777 an open area upriver from the arsenal at Brest was fortified to shelter 20 more large ships in the Penfeld River in addition to the original 60. In the 1830s four cales (shipways) de la Boucherie were built there, and in the 1850s two smaller cales du Bocage were added. This map is dated 1855. One shipway from each group was removed circa the 1870s. (Map: BNF-btv1b530849639, see also BNF-btv1b84403911)

Gauloise (Ironclad frigate) being launched at Brest on 26 April 1865 during the three days of festivities surrounding the arrival of the railroad at Brest on 25 April. The railroad reduced the travel time between Paris and Brest from 53 to 17 hours. The location shown here generally matches that shown in the following photograph as well as contemporary press descriptions. (Drawing: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 4fi00026 and L'Illustration 13 May 1865 p. 293)

Gauloise (Ironclad frigate). This launching took place on one of the four cales de la Boucherie that were built in the 1830s in a 1777 extension of the Brest dockyard upriver from the main arsenal. For later images of this location see the station battleship Bayard and the 2nd class cruiser Nielly. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2Fi06387)

Provence (Ironclad frigate, wood hull) at Toulon with a later model ironclad astern. (Photo: NH 74882 from ONI album of French warships)

Provence (Ironclad frigate) at Brest. (Photo: NH 74806 from ONI album of French warships)

Surveillante (Ironclad frigate, wood hull). (Photo: NH 75901 from ONI album of French warships)

Surveillante (Ironclad frigate). (Photo: NH 75900 from ONI album of French warships)

Héroïne (Ironclad frigate, iron hull), under sail in 1894 enroute Dakar to serve as a station ship there. (Photo: Facebook by Vladimir Yakubov on 27.2.2024)

Océan (Ironclad frigate, wood hull) at Toulon. (Photo: NH 74922 from ONI album of French warships)

Océan (Ironclad frigate). View of the after deck with the ship's wheel and a small compass platform behind it with the traditional inscription "Honneur et Patrie." The "M" above it raises the possibility that the ship is Marengo. (Photo: NH 74923 from ONI album of French warships)

Marengo (Ironclad frigate, wood hull). (Photo: NH 74929 from ONI album of French warships)

Marengo (Ironclad frigate). (Photo: NH 74812 from ONI album of French warships)

Marengo (Ironclad frigate). View of the after deck showing the mizzen mast with the ship's wheel barely visible behind it and one of the ship's four bronze 12-pounder (121mm) deck guns. (Photo: NH 74925 from ONI album of French warships)

Suffren (Ironclad frigate, wood hull). (Photo: NH 74914 from ONI album of French warships)

Suffren (Ironclad frigate) at Havre in 1895 for review of Escadre du Nord by Faure. (Photo: Facebook by Andrey Myatishkin on 20.5.2025)

Marengo (Ironclad frigate). (Photo: NH 64448)

Friedland (1st rank ironclad frigate, iron hull). (Photo: NH 74919 from ONI album of French warships)

Richelieu (Ironclad frigate, wood hull) at Algiers, with a single top on each mast and a long bowsprit. (Photo: NH 74903 from ONI album of French warships)

Richelieu (Ironclad frigate), probably at Toulon, with double tops on each mast and a shortened bowsprit. (Photo: NH 64441)

Richelieu (Ironclad frigate) with double tops on each mast and a shortened bowsprit. (Photo: Print by G.J.)

Colbert (Ironclad frigate, wood hull), at Brest with Redoutable ahead of her. Mark Saibène's book says this is Trident circa 1880. (Photo: NH 74956 from ONI album of French warships)

Colbert (Ironclad frigate). (Photo: NH 74918 from ONI album of French warships)

Trident (Ironclad frigate, wood hull). (Photo: NH 74920 from ONI album of French warships)

Colbert (Ironclad frigate) with reduced rig. (Photo: Print by G.J.)

Colbert (Ironclad frigate) with reduced rig. (Photo: Shipscribe)

Trident (Ironclad frigate) with reduced rig. (Photo: NH 74941 from ONI album of French warships)

Redoutable (1st rank ironclad, steel & iron hull). (Photo: NH 74912 from ONI album of French warships)

Redoutable (1st rank ironclad) at Lorient on 14 December 1878. (Photo: Facebook by A. Myatishkin on 26.5.2025)

Redoutable (1st rank ironclad). (Photo: NH 74942 from ONI album of French warships)

Redoutable (1st rank ironclad). (Photo: NH 66089, Farenholt collection from ONI)

Redoutable (1st rank ironclad) at Saigon in her final configuration. (Photo: Postcard by G.B.)

Dévastation (1st rank ironclad, steel & iron hull). (Photo: NH 74911 from ONI album of French warships)

Dévastation (1st rank ironclad). (Photo: NH 74939 from ONI album of French warships)

Dévastation (1st rank ironclad). (Photo: Facebook by V. Yakubov on 17.5.2023)

Courbet (1st rank ironclad, steel & iron hull) with bowsprit. (Photo: NH 74926 from ONI album of French warships)

Courbet (1st rank ironclad) circa 1898 with a new conning tower forward of the bridge and without the funnel for the auxiliary boilers forward of the bridge. The rebuilt Amiral Baudin is on the right. (Photo: Postcard by ND)

Dévastation (1st rank ironclad) on 30 July 1903 in her final configuration. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Shipscribe)

Courbet (1st rank ironclad) in her final configuration. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Shipscribe)