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Fulminant was the second of the two ships of the Tonnerre-class, coastal defense breastwork monitors built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) in the 1870s. Launched in 1877, the ship was armed with a main armament of two 274.4 mm (10.8 in) Modèle 1875 guns mounted in a single turret that had armor 300 mm (12 in) thick. In 1887, the vessel was damaged near Brest while sailing between Cherbourg and Toulon, but was swiftly repaired. From 1891, the ship served in the Northern Squadron (Esadre du Nord}. As French naval doctrine moved from a fleet of smaller coastal defense ships to larger ocean-going battleships, the ship had a short active career. The warship was struck in 1908 and served as a target for the ships of the Mediterranean Squadron (Esadre du Meditérranée). Sunk and raised in 1911, Fulminant was sold in 1912 and broken up.

Design and description

On 10 November 1871, the Minister of the Navy (Ministère de la Marine) Louis Pierre Alexis Pothuau issued a specification for a new coastal defense ship. Of the three alternatives submitted on 9 August 1872, the French Navy accepted that developed by Louis de Bussy, which was signed on 29 July. The design was based on his existing second-class coastal defense ships, as epitomised by the Bélier-class ram, but with an armored deck raised by 10 cm (3.9 in), sitting 90 cm (35 in) above the waterline and all vertical dimensions increased by 25 percent. With similarity to the Royal Navy monitor Glatton but with a shorter breastwork, the design was agreed and built as class of two vessels, the second of which was named Fulminant on 20 February 1874.

Power for Fulminant was provided by a single horizontal Schneider compound steam engine with return connecting rods that drove a single propeller shaft. Steam was provided by eight high cylindrical boilers that were designed to run at a pressure of 4.133 kg/cm (149.3 lb/cu in) and vented through a single funnel. The engine had three cylinders, a high pressure cylinder of 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) bore and 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) stroke and two low pressure cylinders of 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) bore. The engine was rated at 3,500 indicated horsepower (2,600 kW). While undertaking sea trials, Fulminant reached a speed of 13.882 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) from 4,616 ihp (3,442 kW). The ship carried 281.6 tonnes (277.2 long tons; 310.4 short tons) of coal, which gave a range of 2,070 nautical miles (3,830 km; 2,380 mi) at a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). In service, the ship was rated at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).

Fulminant carried a main battery of two 274.4 mm (11 in) 19.75-caliber Modèle 1875 guns in a single enclosed turret. The guns were capable of firing every seven or eight minutes. They each weighed 27,850 kg (61,400 lb) and fired a shell that weighed 216 kg (476 lb). The guns were hydraulically loaded using the Rendell system, which also powered the turret. Defence from torpedo boats was provided by four 100 mm (3.9 in) guns mounted at the corners of the flying deck, raised above the hull. The ship was equipped with a 3 m (9.8 ft) ram. Six 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolving cannons were added, which were replaced, in 1900, by six Canon de 47 mm (1.9 in) Modèle 1885 Hotchkiss guns and two 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolving cannons. Four 60 cm (24 in) Mangin searchlights were also added.

The ship was fitted with wrought iron armor with a full-length waterline armor belt that tapered from the maximum thickness of 330 mm (13 in) amidships to 250 mm (10 in) forward and 300 mm (12 in) aft. The deck armor was 50 mm (2 in) thick amidships with ends had 120 mm (5 in) of wood mounted on 10 mm (0 in) plating. The belt stretched from 1.51 m (59 in) below the waterline to 0.89 m (35 in) above. The breastwork had armor that was 333 mm (13 in) amidships and 300 mm at the ends. The turret was also protected by armor that is 300 mm thick, although the gun ports themselves were 350 mm (14 in) thick. The turret was itself 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in) in diameter. A cylindrical conning tower was mounted on the turret, supported on a fixed 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in) shaft.

References

Citations

1. Roberts 2021, p. 80, 81.
2. ^ Roberts 2021, p. 80.
3. King 1881, p. 21.
4. Roberts 2021, p. 472.
5. King 1881, p. 22.
6. Paloczi-Horvath 1996, p. 110.
7. Campbell 1979, p. 299.

Bibliography

• Brassey, Thomas, ed. (1897). "Part II: British and Foreign Armoured and Unarmoured Ships". The Naval Annual 1897. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co. pp. 227–335. OCLC 1342523853.
• Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "France". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 282–333. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
• King, J. W. (1881). The War-ships and Navies of the World. Boston: A. Williams and Company.
• Paloczi-Horvath, George (1996). From Monitor to Missile Boat: Coast Defence Ships and Coastal Defence Since 1860. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-270-4.
• Partridge, Colin; Lambert, Andrew (2024). The Channel Islands in Anglo-French Relations, 1689-1918. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-78327-655-4.
• Roberts, Stephen (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4533-0.
• Thursfield, Thomas, ed. (1892). "Chapter III: British and Foreign Armoured and Unarmoured Ships". The Naval Annual 1892. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co. pp. 61–88.

• 1875 ships
• Coastal defense ships of the French Navy