Squadron Ironclads/Battleships: Photo Gallery (1b)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad) fitting out at the yard of the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerrannée at La Seyne. The torpedo boats include Terpsihori and Kallithea from the five Fereniki class boats built for Greece in 1881. (Photo by Adolphe Terris, probably for the builder.)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad), as commissioned in 1883 with a light fore-and-aft rig instead of the full ship rig in the original design. Redoutable is in the background to the right. (Photo: NH 74901 from ONI album of French warships)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad) at Toulon with an Annamite class transport behind her. The fitting of double tops on the three masts was approved by a ministerial despatch dated 18 November 1884. She received Bullivant torpedo nets in a 1885-6 refit. (Photo: NH 74906)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad) at Villefranche circa 1890 with Dévastation behind her. Both ships are carrying Bullivant torpedo nets. (Dévastation had hers between 1887 and 1897.) (Photo: NH 88866)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad) at Toulon between 1896 and 1898 with Jaureguiberry astern. Note the absence of Bullivant torpedo nets. (Photo: Facebook by Vladimir Yakubov on 13.3.2025)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad). Model showing a modernization of this ship proposed on 18 May 1899 in response to an order of 8 August 1898. This was one in a series of such proposals, none of which was carried out. (Photo: DCN Brest note of 18.5.1899 in SHD Archives, Marine 7DD1-521)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad). The nameplate on the model and the associated papers indicate that the design for this modernization was developed at the Port of Brest by M. Bahon, Ingenieur de la Marine. (Photo: DCN Brest note of 18.5.1899 in SHD Archives, Marine 7DD1-521)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad). The mainmast was removed at Brest between 1898 and 1900. (Photo: Facebook by Andrey Myatishkin on 26.7.2021 and Wikimedia from DCN Rochefort MR_5_G_171)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad). The ship served in the Escadre du Nord at Brest from 1898 to 1901 when she was sent to Cherbourg. (Photo: NH 66057, Farenholt Collection from ONI)

Amiral Duperré (1st rank ironclad) at Brest with Neptune astern. The ship moved from Brest to Toulon in 1903 and was laid up there until decommissioned for the last time in September 1905. (Photo: Postcard)

Amiral Baudin (Squadron battleship) on the ways in a temporary shiphouse at Brest upriver from the main arsenal on 2 February 1880. She and Bayard (barely visible at the extreme lower left) are on two of the three remaining cales (building ways) de la Boucherie while Terrible behind her is on the one remaining cale du Bocage. To the right is the Atelier des Bâtiments en fer. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2Fi06369)

Based on the openings in the sides, this image is believed to show the interior of the shiphouse for Amiral Baudin. Parts of her keel are visible (it was laid on 1 February 1879) and a few frames have been laid out, but little else has been done. A companion image for Terrible shows that there are some more plates, irons, and angle irons for both ships on the ground outside their shiphouses. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2Fi06370)

Amiral Baudin (Squadron battleship). A retouched view of the ship in her initial configuration. Plans for the protective shields for her main guns shown here were presented in December 1887. These were similar to shields in Terrible that replaced an unsatisfactory type supplied by the builder of the gun mountings, Farcot. (Photo: Postcard by Giletta, Nice)

Formidable (Squadron battleship) as completed. The upgrade to a full military foremast was approved in February 1887. Protective shields (carapaces) for her main guns like those in Amiral Baudin were approved in July 1888, but this view appears to show an earlier type. (Photo: Shipscribe)

Formidable (Squadron battleship). After an 1891-92 refit to improve axial fire in which four 164.7mm guns were added near the ends in sponsons and the two 138.6mm guns in the bow and stern were replaced with 47mm quick-fire guns. (Photo: NH 74805 from ONI album of French warships)

Amiral Baudin (Squadron battleship). In 1892-93 she received a refit similar to the one Formidable had received a year earlier but her 138.6mm secondary battery was also replaced with new quick-fire guns. (Photo: NH 66055, Farenholt Collection from ONI)

Formidable (Squadron battleship), modified at Toulon in 1896-97 to reduce her excess weight. Her amidships 370mm gun was removed and replaced by a battery to which the four 164.7mm guns in the hull sponsons were moved. Two of her ten 138.6mm guns were also deleted. (Photo: Facebook by A. Myatishkin on 13.11.2021 and Wikimedia from DCN Rochefort MR_5_G_404)

Amiral Baudin (Squadron battleship), modified at Brest in 1897-98 along the same lines as Formidable the previous year. Her forward pole mast was also replaced by a shorter military mast taken from the cruiser Isly. (Photo: Postcard, Bougault)

Amiral Baudin (Squadron battleship) after her 1897-98 refit with a fine view of her after 370mm gun and its mounting. (Photo: Postcard, H. Laurent, Port-Louis)

Hoche (Squadron battleship) as completed. In August 1882, during a brief period of French interest in turret battleships, design work began on a variant of Magenta with turrets instead of barbettes at the ends. These had to be lowered a deck for weight reasons. (Photo: NH 88814, photo by C.J. from ONI album of foreign warships)

Hoche (Squadron battleship) as completed. The superstructures piled high on a low hull caused her to be called informally the "Grand Hotel." Note the donjons (round galleries) over all four main battery guns and the Bullivant torpedo nets on the hull. (Photo: NH 88812, photo by ND received by ONI on 1 June 1891)

Hoche (Squadron battleship) after her 1894-95 refit. Her eighteen 138.6mm breechloading guns were replaced with twelve of the new 138.6mm quick firing guns, the donjons were cut back, and the after military mast was replaced with a pole mast. (Photo: NH 88815 from ONI album of foreign warships)

Hoche (Squadron battleship) at Toulon after her 1898-1900 refit. She received new Belleville boilers which required fitting new twin funnels. The height of the superstructure was also reduced and the casemates for the four 138.6mm guns in the superstructure were removed, leaving all twelve 138.6mm guns unprotected. (Photo: Postcard by A. Bougault, Toulon-sur-Mer)

Hoche (Squadron battleship) at Toulon after the removal of the remnants of her donjons in 1907 by the ship's crew with dockyard help. She was placed in reserve in 1908 and sunk as a target in 1911. In her last years she was classed as a squadron battleship in the second line fleet, not as a coast defense ship as captioned here. (Photo: Postcard by Petit Provençal, Toulon)

Marceau (Squadron battleship) in her original configuration and in a non-standard paint scheme. This print was received by ONI in 1892. (Photo: NH 66084, Farenholt Collection from ONI)

Marceau (Squadron battleship) in her original configuration. The main paint colors are black and "ochre." (Photo: NH 66083, from a print by Clavel, Quai Consigne at Toulon; also on a print by G.J.)

Marceau (Squadron battleship) on 13 October 1893. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Shipscribe)

Marceau (Squadron battleship) after her masts were lowered shortly before her 1900-02 refit, during which she received new Niclausse boilers. The masts were lowered from 19.70m (both) to 14.60m (fore) and 11.40m (after). (Photo: Postcard, A. Couturier, Toulon)

Marceau (Former squadron battleship). Sailors training on a 47mm Hotchkiss gun near a 340mm broadside gun. In 1906 the ship was reduced to a school for apprentice seamen with only four inactive 340mm guns and four 47mm guns. (Photo: Postcard, A. Bougault, Toulon)

Neptune (Squadron battleship) on trials c1892 showing the huge bow wave raised by her bow form. (Photo: Facebook by Navy General Board on 29.10.2025)

Neptune (Squadron battleship). (Photo: Shipscribe)

Neptune (Squadron battleship) at Toulon between 1893 and 1898. The upper level of her main top was removed in around 1898. (Photo: Postcard by B.G.)

Neptune (Squadron battleship) while inactive at Brest between 1899 and 1905. Amiral Duperré is at the upper right showing the shields on her after main battery guns and Saône (not shown) was astern of Neptune. (Photo: Postcard by Villard, Quimper)

Magenta (Squadron battleship) as completed in 1893. The form of her bow, originally as in Neptune, was altered in late 1891 to reduce the size of her bow wave. (Photo: NH 88811 from ONI album of foreign warships ca. 1900)

Magenta (Squadron battleship). Her after military mast was replaced with a pole mast in late 1897. (Photo: Postcard by A. Couturier)