150 
THE WOKLD'S WARSHIPS. 
Gallic neighbours. They, however, still clung to the old ideas, and all 
the four ships may be fairly considered as sisters, though the Fried- 
land is larger, and differs in some other respects. They are armed 
with four 27 cm 23-ton guns and four 24 cm 16-ton ditto ; besides smaller 
weapons, with the exception of the Friedland, who has eight of the 
former weapons. The armour has now been removed from the bar¬ 
bettes owing to want of stability, but the guns are protected by 
shields. They should be easily recognised by their three masts, the 
foremast square rigged, the others fore and aft. Funnel rather large, 
round, with two telescopic steam pipes, between fore and main masts, 
and above all, by their barbettes, which are on either side of the fun¬ 
nel and near together. They have also a stern walk and ram bow. 
In the Friedland the central battery is longer and consequently the 
towers further apart, she has also a conning tower, while the funnel is 
oblong, and there is a wide space between the fore and mainmast. 
Again, they have single screws, which leaves a different wake in the 
water to twin screws. 
It may be observed that with this third group the French for the 
first time departed from their broadside ships. The central battery is 
enclosed in a box similar to our Bellerophen or Hercules. 
These ships were followed by a fourth group, the Richelieu, Colbert, 
and Trident, plated with nine inches of armour. 
The Richelieu is of a type very similar to that of the preceding 
group, but with an addition of 33 feet to her length and 1200 tons to 
her displacement, i.e ., 323 feet long, 58 feet beam, 9000 tons displace¬ 
ment. 
She has six 23-ton guns in her central battery, and four 24 CIU in her 
barbettes, with a fifth, mounted as a bow chaser, firing directly ahead 
from under her bowsprit. She carries a secondary armament of eight 
14 cm , besides Maxims. She is rigged with three military masts with 
double tops, has a slightly raking oblong funnel near and before main¬ 
mast, and close abreast of her foremast barbette towers. She has a 
ram bow and high topgallant forecastle. 
The other two ships, the Colbert and Trident, had some considerable 
changes introduced. The central battery was reduced to six 23-ton 
guns, thus bringing about a saving in the length of 39 feet. The 
towers were reduced to two to allow of the same heavier guns being 
mounted—the stern turrets being dispensed with, as also the armour 
of the remaining ones. In the stern an additional 15*5-ton gun was 
introduced, firing direct with the line of keel. A knot of extra speed 
was thus gained. All these three ships have their hulls constructed of 
wood, except the extremities fore and aft, in which the upper works 
extending beyond the central battery are of iron. 
The last two were not completed till 1877. They have three masts, 
the foremast square rigged. The funnel is before the mainmast 
between the barbettes and behind a high conning tower and bridge 
which is much exposed. But the most distinguishing mark is a very 
sloping stern which, if it were not for the stern walk, would look like 
the projecting bow of a ram. 
With the insignificant addition of some smaller vessels for coast 
