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FS La Gloire (1860)

FS La Gloire (1860) History

In 1850, France introduced the all-wooden, steam-powered, screw-propelled battleshipthe 90-gun Napoleonto the disquiet of neighboring England. The French continued to build more wooden steam-powered "first-line ships" and added eight Napoleon-class battleships, while another 28 sailing frigates and first-line ships were also converted to steam propulsion. This inevitably forced the British to surpass their French counterparts in control of the world's oceans.

In this way, Britain itself managed to build 18 new wooden steam-powered ships and convert 41 older ships to steam power, further bolstering its naval stability. This type of warship, though somewhat unwieldy, is a very capable machine, capable of engaging enemies from a distance with powerful airborne cannons and ramming them with wooden hulled ships.

Steam-powered ironclads maintained their speed even in combat conditions because their sails did not require wind as their primary propulsion.

The French authorities knew they could not directly match the performance of British ships, so a new initiative was needed. During the Crimean War, France saw the success of French and British steam-powered iron barges with their paixhans (high-explosive-firing rifle cannons) against Russian coastal fortifications.

Therefore, in 1857, the design of a new type of ship to challenge the mighty British fleet fell into the hands of the famous French naval architect Dupuy de Lome.

The design eventually became "La Gloire" ("Glory"), the world's first ocean-going iron ship. This is crucial because it enables these armored warships to penetrate the open waters of the high seas and engage enemy capital ships directly. Construction began in April 1858 at the French Armory in Toulon, Murion, and consisted of three ships in total, including the Invincible and the Normandy. The pioneering design encased her wooden hull in iron, propulsion was provided by an internal steam engine, while three sail masts completed her silhouette.

The lack of industrially manufactured iron plates in France was limited, so the boat was given a 16.9" thick wooden hull and covered with 4.5" thick iron plates - so La Gloire wouldn't be a "real" one iron ship. Napoleon III, the ruler of the time, also pushed for the completion of the design and forced the use of poorer quality wood in shipbuilding, and common naval timepieces were air-dried about three years before they could be used.

Her single screw was designed for a top speed of 13 knots, although reports indicate no more than 11 knots. 75 knots can be reached, and 11 knots is basically a realistic top speed for such a heavy boat and in calm waters. She is armed with no less than 36 6.4 in (160 mm) rifled main guns capable of firing explosive rounds. These shells proved lethal because they could penetrate the wooden hulls of enemy "tall ships" and explode inside, causing maximum damage to crews and systems.

Tested on a 4.5" iron plate on 16.9" wood, even the heaviest UK 68-pdr at close range will stand the test. La Gloire is 255.6 feet long and has a beam width of 55.9 feet, and she needs 27.10 feet of water below her or she will run aground.

The armament is centered on a 36 x 163 mm rifled 1858/60 gun.

As would be expected in the industrial age, the De Lome didn't count too much on the comfort of the crew below deck, so ventilation was poor at best - their boilers and steam engines produced a lot of heat and suffocation smoke boat. Lighting still required oil lamps, which only added to the rise in internal temperature, further insulated by the iron plates covering the hull. The Gloire's aggressive features used a blunt bow with a convex back, which allowed the ship to reach flank speeds with less power than British frigates. The muzzles were close together, making the turret a bit crowded for the rifle crew.

The sails have been upgraded from the original layout of barquentine rigging to a square sail barque design. While her primary means of propulsion is steam, in an emergency her captains can rely on the wind in the sails (full confidence in machinery has not been gained at this point in history) or combine the two methods to provide maximum The power supply goes on at the same time to achieve the effect.

When Gloire was commissioned, she immediately knocked out all unarmored wooden battleships, the technology at the time was so powerful. It's time for navies around the world to start building these ocean-going ironclad warships. She served in the French Navy for nine years before being overhauled and rearmed.

After her re-equipment, her original 36-door muzzle-loading guns were replaced by 8 x 239mm BL 1864 and 6 x 193mm BL 1866 guns.

When the keel of La Gloire was laid in France, the Admiralty had been notified and immediately ordered the construction of two iron-hulled ships and four iron-hulled ships. La Gloire itself was outdated with the introduction of HMS Warrior, the series' iron ship, and her reign as mistress of the sea lasted a year. The rush to have her and her sister ships built from untreated lumber -- a practice used throughout the French shipbuilding program -- ultimately led to maintenance problems, including frequent repairs, dry rot and higher operating costs for the French government. Both Invincible and Normandy were commissioned in 1862 and scrapped in 1871 and 1872, respectively.

La Gloire himself only served 20 years before being scrapped in 1883.