Dupleix-class cruiser

Kléber in the U.S. before World War I
Class overview
Name:	Dupleix class
Operators:	French Navy
Preceded by:	Gueydon class
Succeeded by:	Gloire class
Built:	1897–1904
In commission:	1904–1921
Completed:	3
Lost:	1
Scrapped:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Armored cruiser
Displacement:	7,600 t (7,480 long tons)
Length:	130 m (426 ft 6 in)
Beam:	17.87 m (58 ft 8 in)
Draft:	7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power:	17,800 ihp (13,300 kW) 24 Belleville boilers
Propulsion:	3 Shafts, 3 vertical triple-expansion steam engines
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	531–580
Armament:	4 twin 164 mm (6.5 in) guns 4 single 100 mm (3.9 in) guns 10 single 47 mm (1.9 in) guns 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt: 40–100 mm (1.6–3.9 in) Turrets: 120–160 mm (4.7–6.3 in) Barbettes: 40–120 mm (1.6–4.7 in) Deck: 50–70 mm (2.0–2.8 in) Bulkheads: 90 mm (3.5 in) Conning tower: 80 mm (3.1 in)

The Dupleix-class cruisers were a group of three armoured cruisers built for the French Navy at the beginning of the 20th century. All three ships served in World War I.

Designed by the naval architect Emile Bertin, the Dupleix-class ships measured 132.1 meters (433 ft 5 in) long overall with a beam of 17.9 meters (58 ft 9 in) and had a maximum draft (ship) of 7.4 meters (24 ft 3 in). They displaced 7,735 metric tons (7,613 long tons). They had a crew of 531 or 580 officers and enlisted men.

The ships had three vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft. Steam for the engines was provided by 20 or 24 boilers and they were rated at a total of 17,500–17,800 indicated horsepower (13,000–13,300 kW) that gave them a speed of 20.7–21 knots (38.3–38.9 km/h; 23.8–24.2 mph). The Dupleix-class ships carried up to 1,180 metric tons (1,160 long tons; 1,300 short tons) of coal and could steam for 7,600 nautical miles (14,100 km; 8,700 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

The ships of the Dupleix class had a main armament that consisted of eight quick-firing (QF) 45-caliber Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893-96 guns. They were mounted in four twin gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure and a pair of wing turrets amidships. For anti-torpedo boat defense, they carried four 45-caliber QF 100-millimeter (3.9 in) guns on the forecastle deck, ten QF 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns. They were also armed with two above water 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes.