152 
THE WORLDS WARSHIPS. 
up after their velocity has been much reduced they will be of very 
little account. 
Before dismissing from our minds these vessels, it may serve to 
identify them to recall that the Marengo was Admiral Gervais' flag¬ 
ship at Portsmouth, and that the Suffren sustained severe damage on 
a rock off Toulon in 1885, and that in the same port the Richelieu had 
to be scuttled in November, 1880, to extinguish a fire on board and 
was not raised till March, 1881. 
This is a list of the armoured French fleet that we have been con¬ 
sidering. 
FRENCH ARMOURED SHIPS.—FIRST PERIOD. 
Line-of-Battleships.—First Class. 
1st Group. —Gloire, Majenta, Invincible, Solferino, Normandie, and Couronne. 
2nd Group. —Flandre, Gauloise, Guyenne, Savoie, Surveillante, Provence, 
Magnanime, Valeureuse, Heroine, and Revanche. 
3rd Group. —Ocean. Friedland, Marengo, and Suffren. 
4dh Group. —Richelieu, Colbert, and Trident. 
Second Class. 
Alma, Belliqueuse, Atalante, Montcalm, Reine Blanche, Armide, Jeanne D’Arc, 
Montaubon, and Thetis. 
Coast Defenders. 
Belier, Taureau, Boule-Dogue, Tigre, Cerbere, Imprenable, Onondaga, and 
Protectrice. 
Carried over as Still Efficient to Second Period. 
Ocean, Marengo, Suffren, Friedland, Richelieu, Colbert, and Trident. 
FRENCH IRON-CLAD FLEET.—SECOND PERIOD. 
The programme of ship building for 1872 starts a new epoch in the 
history of the French fleet. Driven from the proud position they had 
so long held, of pioneers in ship construction, the French bravely 
looked their difficulties in the face after the disastrous war, and drew 
up an extensive and far-reaching programme. It was to comprise ten 
first-class ironclads, seven second-class, and ten coast defenders, which 
included completing the vessels in band, which for the sake of clearness 
we have already considered. 
In regard to the general arrangement of the different types of iron¬ 
clads, it was decided that for the future iron alone was to be used for 
the hull and decks, principally because iron admitted of readier repair, 
while it facilitated numerous water-tight compartments—a special 
feature of these intended ships. It was also determined to increase 
the deck armour owing to the powerful plunging fire that some of the 
English ships especially were able to deliver. It was not long before 
steel began to be substituted in many instances for iron. The new era 
was also characterised by an increase of displacement and a reduced 
draft of water. 
Foremost among the new ships came the Redoubtable, constructed 
from the designs of Mons. de Bussy ; she was commenced in Novem- 
