French 1st Class Cruisers, 1859-1882: Photo Gallery
In fleet lists as Frégates (3 rangs) 1859. Vénus, Minerve (both new), and Armorique to Corvettes à batterie 1862 and to Frégates de 3e rang 1872.
All to Croiseurs de 1re classe 1874, Croiseurs à batterie 1880, Croiseurs de station à batterie 1891, and Croiseurs de 1re classe 1892.
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Vénus class (1862)
Vénus
Vénus (French covered battery corvette, wood hull) at Rochefort, date of photo unknown. (Photo: Private digital collection and Wikimedia from SHD Rochefort MR-5-G-1118)
Vénus
Vénus (French covered battery corvette) departing Algiers on 12 August 1886 at the end of her active career. Her 1883 armament included twelve short 138.6cm rifles in the battery, some of which are visible here. In 1887 she became one of several mooring hulks at Rochefort. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74972 from ONI album of French warships)
Minerve
Minerve (French covered battery corvette). In the lower harbor at Portsmouth, N.H., probably while on the Antilles station in 1882-84 or the North Atlantic Station in 1886-88. (Photo: American Poly-Chrome postcard, Shipscribe)
Duquesne class (1873)
Tourville
Tourville (French 1st class cruiser, iron hull) fitting out at the yard of the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée at La Seyne. Photographed by Adolphe Terris, probably for the builder. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Duquesne
Duquesne (French 1st class cruiser) in her prime. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Tourville
Tourville (French 1st class cruiser). Her funnels were taller and had a greater cross section than those of Duquesne even though they had the same type of boilers. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74891 from ONI album of French warships)
Duquesne
Duquesne (French 1st class cruiser) at Tahiti during the mid-1880s when flagship of the French Pacific Squadron. The ship in the left background is a 1st class aviso and the one on the right is an aviso-transport, probably Dives (1870-1920). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74932 from ONI album of French warships)
Tourville
Tourville (French 1st class cruiser) at the breakers in Cherbourg in a colorized postcard printed by a chocolate and tea company. The capstan indicates her original deck height. (Photo: Shipscribe collection)
Iphigénie, Naïade, and Aréthuse classes (1878)
Iphigénie
Iphigénie (French 1st class cruiser, wood hull) at Algiers on 5 June 1886 while serving as a seagoing training ship for officer cadets. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74953 from ONI album of French warships)
Iphigénie
Iphigénie (French 1st class cruiser). (Photo: Private digital collection)
Naïade
Naïade (French 1st class cruiser, wood hull). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-66086, Farenholt Collection)
Naïade
Naïade (French 1st class cruiser). Mis-identified as Impératrice Éugenie. (Photo: Private digital collection)
Aréthuse
Aréthuse (French 1st class cruiser, wood hull). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-55622, from the A.S. Murray Collection at the Peale Museum, Baltimore, Md.)
Aréthuse
Aréthuse (French 1st class cruiser). (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-74996 from ONI album of French warships)
Aréthuse
Aréthuse (French 1st class cruiser) in America in 1893 for the Columbian Naval Review. Photographed by the Detroit Photographic Co. (Photo: Library of Congress LC-D4-21127)
Dubourdieu class (1881)
Dubourdieu
Dubourdieu (French 1st class cruiser, wood hull) in drydock at the Mare Island Navy Yard in June-July 1891 to repair her stern. Photo by William H. Topley. (Photo: USN NHHC Photo Archive NH-71240 from the Wm. H. Topley collection)
Dubourdieu
Dubourdieu (French 1st class cruiser). This "French cruiser visiting Nova Scotia" is Dubourdieu, probably during her final cruise on the Atlantic station between 1895 and 1899. (Photo: Private digital collection)