French Ironclad Frigate La Gloire (1860)
A ground-breaking vessel in every respect, Gloire was the first ever seagoing ironclad battleship, and as such the mother of all succeeding armored battleships. Designed by France's naval architect wiz Dupuy de Lôme, she was a wooden-hulled frigate -- basically a ship-of-the-line design, cut down by one deck and sheathed in 4.7" iron armor. She was not the first armored warship: the floating batteries Napoléon III had built a few years before for the Crimean War claimed that distinction. Rather, Gloire was the world's first self-propelled, seagoing armored warship. Originally designed with barquentine rig, she was given more square-rigged sails in an upgrade to barque rig in 1862 (below). Her radical features included a blunt bow with convex stem and low freeboard which made accuracy difficult for her main deck gunners in a seaway. The gunports were placed too close to the waves, and too close to each other, making a crowded workspace for the crew, compared to the spacious and well-protected gun-deck of the Warrior sisters. La Gloire was launched in 1858 and commissioned in August 1860; her construction seems to have been rushed in order to claim a "first" for France, somewhat in the way HMS Dreadnought would be rushed into production some 50 years later. Ordinarily timber in a ship abuilding was allowed to season for up to 3 years to avoid the possibility of dry rot. This practice seems to have been deliberately ignored in the making of the world's first seagoing ironclad, which materially shortened her service life -- she lasted only 21 years.
La Gloire's debut caused a sensation in naval circles, inciting the British to counter with an even more revolutionary armored frigate -- the all-iron HMS Warrior of 1860, twice the size of Gloire and coming close enough on her heels to steal some of her thunder. In succeeding years, the French Navy built two armored wooden copies of the Gloire, and an all-iron-hulled version, but failed to take advantage of the possibilities in iron construction for watertight subdivision, etc. The two wooden copies, the Normandie and Invincible, were made from unseasoned lumber and were stricken after only 10 years, victims of dry rot; Gloire herself was scrapped in 1883. By contrast, her iron-hulled sister, Couronne, was still afloat in 1930.
La Gloire's vital statistics: Length: 255'6" (77.9 m) Beam: 55'9" (17 m) Draft: 27'10" (8.5 m) Displacement: 5,630 tons Armament: (36) 16-cm (6.3") RML. Armor: 4.33 to 4.67" iron belt on all-wooden hull (109 - 118.6 mm). Fuel capacity: 665 tons coal. Propulsion: 8 oval fire-tube boilers; 2-cyl horizontal return connecting rod engine, 2500 IHP, shafted to single screw. Sail rig: Barquentine, later changed to 3-mast barque. Maximum speed: 12.5 kts. Crew: 570.
A Picture Essay on the First Seagoing Ironclad
A ground-breaking vessel in every respect, Gloire was the first ever seagoing ironclad battleship, and as such the mother of all succeeding armored battleships. Designed by France's naval architect wiz Dupuy de Lôme, she was a wooden-hulled frigate -- basically a ship-of-the-line design, cut down by one deck and sheathed in 4.7" iron armor. She was not the first armored warship: the floating batteries Napoléon III had built a few years before for the Crimean War claimed that distinction. Rather, Gloire was the world's first self-propelled, seagoing armored warship. Originally designed with barquentine rig, she was given more square-rigged sails in an upgrade to barque rig in 1862 (below). Her radical features included a blunt bow with convex stem and low freeboard which made accuracy difficult for her main deck gunners in a seaway. The gunports were placed too close to the waves, and too close to each other, making a crowded workspace for the crew, compared to the spacious and well-protected gun-deck of the Warrior sisters. La Gloire was launched in 1858 and commissioned in August 1860; her construction seems to have been rushed in order to claim a "first" for France, somewhat in the way HMS Dreadnought would be rushed into production some 50 years later. Ordinarily timber in a ship abuilding was allowed to season for up to 3 years to avoid the possibility of dry rot. This practice seems to have been deliberately ignored in the making of the world's first seagoing ironclad, which materially shortened her service life -- she lasted only 21 years.
La Gloire's debut caused a sensation in naval circles, inciting the British to counter with an even more revolutionary armored frigate -- the all-iron HMS Warrior of 1860, twice the size of Gloire and coming close enough on her heels to steal some of her thunder. In succeeding years, the French Navy built two armored wooden copies of the Gloire, and an all-iron-hulled version, but failed to take advantage of the possibilities in iron construction for watertight subdivision, etc. The two wooden copies, the Normandie and Invincible, were made from unseasoned lumber and were stricken after only 10 years, victims of dry rot; Gloire herself was scrapped in 1883. By contrast, her iron-hulled sister, Couronne, was still afloat in 1930.
La Gloire's vital statistics: Length: 255'6" (77.9 m) Beam: 55'9" (17 m) Draft: 27'10" (8.5 m) Displacement: 5,630 tons Armament: (36) 16-cm (6.3") RML. Armor: 4.33 to 4.67" iron belt on all-wooden hull (109 - 118.6 mm). Fuel capacity: 665 tons coal. Propulsion: 8 oval fire-tube boilers; 2-cyl horizontal return connecting rod engine, 2500 IHP, shafted to single screw. Sail rig: Barquentine, later changed to 3-mast barque. Maximum speed: 12.5 kts. Crew: 570.
Plan of the ship published in Britain before she was completed attests to the keen interest in this development across the Channel.
Plan of the ship published in Britain before she was completed attests to the keen interest in this development across the Channel.
Perhaps the best-known view of Gloire, a wood-engraving depicting her rigged as a barquentine cutting through choppy seas under a full spread of canvas. In reality the ship was a dreadful sailer and designed only for short-range cruises under steam, with sail used sparingly to aid in speed and fuel economy.
Perhaps the best-known view of Gloire, a wood-engraving depicting her rigged as a barquentine cutting through choppy seas under a full spread of canvas. In reality the ship was a dreadful sailer and designed only for short-range cruises under steam, with sail used sparingly to aid in speed and fuel economy.
A rare photo of Gloire, rigged as a barque, drying her sails.
A rare photo of Gloire, rigged as a barque, drying her sails.
Late in her career, yards sent down. Two-decked ship-of-the-line in background.
Late in her career, yards sent down. Two-decked ship-of-the-line in background.
A tongue-in-cheek pan and ink sketch of Gloire depicts her with considerably more spirit than comes through in the primitive photos of the 1860s.
A tongue-in-cheek pan and ink sketch of Gloire depicts her with considerably more spirit than comes through in the primitive photos of the 1860s.
The Océan Class (1868 - 70)
What a decade will do! A highly patriotic lithograph depicts improved Gloire ironclads, the Océan class, on maneuvers in 1869. Relying partly on barbette mountings and partly on broadside deployment, the 3 Océans were the third class of ironclad following the Gloire, succeeding the Magentas of 1862 and the Provence class of 1864-5.
What a decade will do! A highly patriotic lithograph depicts improved Gloire ironclads, the Océan class, on maneuvers in 1869. Relying partly on barbette mountings and partly on broadside deployment, the 3 Océans were the third class of ironclad following the Gloire, succeeding the Magentas of 1862 and the Provence class of 1864-5.
Plan of the Océan class: pure Dupuy de Lôme. Armored box battery amidships in the hull, elevated gun-deck with corners on 4 barbettes high over the weather deck, secondary guns amidships on the gun-deck and along the rail toward bow and stern. The hull shape -- high forecastle and all -- re-echoed down the decades in the French fleet, during de Lôme's lifetime and for a bit beyond. The opernwork midships gunhouse seen here soon evolved into the armored redoubt of the central battery ships of the 1870s.
Plan of the Océan class: pure Dupuy de Lôme. Armored box battery amidships in the hull, elevated gun-deck with corners on 4 barbettes high over the weather deck, secondary guns amidships on the gun-deck and along the rail toward bow and stern. The hull shape -- high forecastle and all -- re-echoed down the decades in the French fleet, during de Lôme's lifetime and for a bit beyond. The opernwork midships gunhouse seen here soon evolved into the armored redoubt of the central battery ships of the 1870s.
Model of l'Océan in the Musée Maritime Nationale, showing the ship's partially armored hull, midships redoubt, and side-by-side stacks.
Model of l'Océan in the Musée Maritime Nationale, showing the ship's partially armored hull, midships redoubt, and side-by-side stacks.
