French ironclad Richelieu
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |
 French Navy
|
| Preceded by: | Friedland |
| Succeeded by: | Colbert class |
| Built: | 1869–1876 |
| In commission: | 1876–1900 |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Scrapped: | 1 |
| History | |
 France
|
|
| Name: | Richelieu |
| Namesake: | Cardinal de Richelieu |
| Builder: | Toulon |
| Laid down: | 1 December 1869 |
| Launched: | 3 December 1873 |
| Completed: | 12 April 1875 |
| Decommissioned: | 5 March 1900 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap 1911 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Central battery ironclad |
| Displacement: | 8,984 metric tons (8,842 long tons) |
| Length: | 101.7 m (333 ft 8 in) |
| Beam: | 17.4 m (57 ft 1 in) |
| Draft: | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Installed power: | 4,600 ihp (3,400 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Sail plan: | Square rig |
| Speed: | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Range: | 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 750 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: | |
The French ironclad Richelieu was a wooden-hulled central battery ironclad built for the French Navy in the early 1870s. She was named after the 17th century statesman Cardinal de Richelieu. The ship was the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron for most of her career. Richelieu caught on fire in Toulon in 1880 and was scuttled to prevent her magazines from exploding. She was salvaged and, after being repaired, resumed her role as flagship. In 1886, however, the ship was placed in and was eventually condemned in 1901. While being towed to the ship breakers in Amsterdam in 1911, Richelieu was caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay and had to be cast loose from her tugboat. Nevertheless, the ship survived the storm and was recovered near the Scilly Isles from where she was towed to her final destination.
Richelieu was designed by Henri Dupuy de Lôme as an improved version of the Océan-class ironclads. As a central battery ironclad she had her armament concentrated amidships. Like most ironclads of her era she was equipped with a plough-shaped ram that projected 10 feet (3.0 m) from her hull. Her crew numbered around 750 officers and men. The metacentric height of the ship was very low, a little above 1.5 feet (0.5 m).
The ship measured 101.7 meters (333 ft 8 in) overall, with a beam of 17.4 meters (57 ft 1 in). Richelieu had a maximum draft of 8.5 meters (27 ft 11 in) and displaced 8,984 metric tons (8,842 long tons).
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