Coast Defense Ships, 1859-1882: Photo Gallery
In fleet lists as Garde-côtes cuirassés 1865, to Garde-côtes cuirassés de 3e (old) and 1re/2e (new) classe 1873 except Onondaga to Monitor, all 3e classe to 2e classe 1874.
All 1re classe to Cuirassés d’escadre and all 2e classe to Garde-côtes cuirassés 1880. All former 1re classe to Garde-côtes cuirassés 1884.
4 Caiman back to Cuirassés d’escadre 1885 and to Garde-côtes cuirassés 1891. All to Cuirassés garde-côtes 1892.
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Early Coast Defense Ironclads: Taureau and Cerbère classes (on list 1864-1867)
Cerbère, Bélier, Taureau
Taureau and the later Bélier and Cerbère (French coast defense ironclads), right to left, in reserve at Cherbourg. Bouledogue was stationed at Lorient and Tigre at Brest. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74921 from ONI Album of French Warships)
Cerbère
Cerbère (French coast defense ironclad) at Cherbourg. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Bélier
Bélier (French coast defense ironclad) in drydock at Cherbourg. Note the twin two-bladed screws and complex rudder. (Photo: Private digital collection from SHD Cherbourg 4-Fi-709)
Bouledogue
Bouledogue (French coast defense ironclad) at Lorient. Note the pair of short funnels. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Bouledogue
Bouledogue (French coast defense ironclad) in reserve at Lorient. The larger station ironclad may be Triomphante, completed at Rochefort in 1879 and in reserve, possibly here, into 1881, and the smaller one may be Atalante, which was in reserve at Lorient in 1878-1882. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Tigre
Tigre (French coast defense ironclad) under construction ca. 1869 in drydock at Rochefort. (Photo: Private digital collection and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-1246)
Tigre
Tigre (French coast defense ironclad) nearly ready for launching ca. 1871 in drydock at Rochefort. Note the pair of short funnels. (Photo: Private digital collection from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-1093)
Purchased Coast Defense Ironclad: Onondaga class (1868)
Onondaga
Onondaga (French coast defense ironclad). This American Civil War monitor was built in 1862-64, purchased by France in 1867, and refitted at Brest in 1868-69. She was photographed here at Brest in 1870 by Émile Mage, probably after being recommissioned for the Franco-Prussian War. (Photo: Wikimedia from Musée Bretagne FLMjo294969)
Onondaga
Onondaga (French coast defense ironclad) laid up at Brest. The ship to her left is Victorieuse, which was recommissioned as a division flagship in the Escadre du Nord in October 1892 with a much reduced rig. At the extreme right is the bow of the ex-frigate Souveraine, which was broken up in 1892. This view is cropped from a folded panorama looking downstream under the closed Pont National swing bridge (1861-1944). (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 3fi114-081)
2nd Class Coast Defense Ironclads: Tempête and Tonnant classes (1872-1875)
Tempête
Tempête (French 2nd class coast defense ironclad). She spent much of her career at Brest. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-66094, Farenholt collection from ONI)
Tempête
Tempête (French 2nd class coast defense ironclad) at Bizerte. She was there between 1897 and 1905. (Photo: Postcard by E. Fages, Bizerte)
Vengeur
Vengeur (French 2nd class coast defense ironclad). She was at Cherbourg from 1885 to 1905. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Archives Marine BB8-2345)
Vengeur
Vengeur (French 2nd class coast defense ironclad). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74908 from ONI Album of French Warships)
Tonnant
Tonnant (French 2nd class coast defense ironclad) at Toulon between August 1885 and April 1886. She spent the rest of her career at Cherbourg. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Vengeur, Tonnant
Vengeur and Tonnant (French 2nd class coast defense ironclads) moored in the Napoleon III Basin at Cherbourg between a paddle steamer and the two-decker barracks hulk Jemmapes. The original row of open building ways for wooden ships is behind them. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74907 from ONI Album of French Warships)
1st Class Coast Defense Ironclads: Tonnerre class (1872-1875)
Tonnerre
Tonnerre (French 1st class coast defense ironclad) at Brest. She was there from 1878 to 1882.(Photo: Feuille signalétique, Archives Marine BB8-2345)
Tonnerre
Tonnerre (French 1st class coast defense ironclad). Her machinery was taken from the ironclad Normandie. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74885 from ONI Album of French Warships)
Tonnerre
Tonnerre (French 1st class coast defense ironclad), possibly shown during her stay at Toulon from 1882 to 1885. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-88825)
Tonnerre
Tonnerre (French 1st class coast defense ironclad). After a stay at Toulon from 1882 to 1885 she served the rest of her career at Cherbourg. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-66096, Farenholt collection from ONI)
Fulminant
Fulminant (French 1st class coast defense ironclad) at Cherbourg, where she served from 1881 to 1887 with a trip to Toulon in 1885-86. (Photo: Private digital collection from print by N.B.)
Fulminant
Fulminant (French 1st class coast defense ironclad) at Brest, where she served after 1887. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)
Fulminant
Fulminant (French 1st class coast defense ironclad). (Photo: Shipscribe collection)
Fulminant
Fulminant (French 1st class coast defense ironclad). (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Archives Marine BB8-2345)
1st Class Coast Defense Battleship: Furieux class (1875)
Furieux
Furieux (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: Shipscribe collection)
Furieux
Furieux (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-64447)
Furieux
Furieux (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: Private digital collection)
Furieux
Furieux (French 1st class coast defense battleship) soon after modernization. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Furieux
Furieux (French 1st class coast defense battleship) at Brest with funnel extensions. (Photo: Postcard by Artaud Nozias, Nantes)
1st Class Coast Defense Battleships: Indomptable class (1878)
Terrible
Terrible (French 1st class coast defense battleship) on 2 February 1880 in a temporary shiphouse on a cale (shipway) du Bocage in an upriver extension of the Brest arsenal that was fortified in 1777. Behind her and facing away are the shiphouses for Amiral Baudin and Nielly, which along with Bayard are on cales de la Boucherie. On the ground to the left of Terrible are plates, irons, and angle irons for her and Amiral Baudin. In the bottom right corner is the roof over D'Estaing, which had been launched in the main dockyard in October 1879. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2Fi06368)
Terrible
Terrible (French 1st class coast defense battleship) fitting out in the upper part of the Penfeld river at Brest. The bastion fortifications in the background are those built around the Plateau de Bordenave in 1777 where four cales (shipways) de la Boucherie were built in the 1830s and two smaller cales du Bocage were added in the early 1850s. One shipway from each group was removed circa the 1870s. (Photo: Wikimedia from Archives M&M Brest 2Fi11241)
Terrible
Terrible (French 1st class coast defense battleship). She was the only one of the class built with square tops. Both masts were later reduced to poles with no tops. She was not modernized like the others but did receive two 340mm guns behind heavy shields in 1900. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Terrible
Terrible (French 1st class coast defense battleship), stern view. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Caïman
Caïman (French 1st class coast defense battleship). She was the only one of the class with double tops and she also had a different shape stern. (Photo: Print by G.J.)
Indomptable
Indomptable (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74940 from ONI Album of French Warships)
Indomptable
Indomptable (French 1st class coast defense battleship), plan of forward gun mount and ground tackle by Usine de la Marine, Indret. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Indomptable
Indomptable (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74963 from ONI Album of French Warships)
Requin
Requin (French 1st class coast defense battleship). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-64451)
Requin
Requin (French 1st class coast defense battleship), stern view. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-64450)
Indomptable class modernized
Indomptable
Indomptable (French 1st class coast defense battleship) on 27 May 1902 after completing modernization during which her after tripod mast was replaced with a short pole and the outer casings on her funnels were lowered. Caïman completed a similar modernization in 1903 but with more pilot house windows. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Archives Marine BB4-2026)
Indomptable
Indomptable (French 1st class coast defense battleship) after modernization. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)
Caïman, Indomptable
French coast defense battleships at Cherbourg: from right to left Furieux, Caïman, and Indomptable, all after modernization, and the newer Valmy. Note the different stern configurations of Indomptable and Caïman. (Photo: Postcard by L. Ratti, Cherbourg)
Requin
Requin (French 1st class coast defense battleship) at Cherbourg after modernization. (Photo: Postcard by L. Ratti, Cherbourg)
Requin
Requin (French 1st class coast defense battleship) on 24 May 1902 after completing modernization. In addition to a new armament she received triple expansion engines and Niclausse boilers with new funnels. (Photo: Feuille signalétique, Archives Marine BB8-2345)
Requin
Requin (French 1st class coast defense battleship) during World War I with Jaureguiberry behind her. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)