Danton class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Danton class was a class
of French battleship
s built between 1907–1911, which served in World War I
. The six ships in the class were all pre-dreadnought
battleships, the last of their kind produced in the French Navy
.
of 18,400 tons. Their main batteries were four 12-inch guns
.
These ships were unusual in that they combined turbine
propulsion machinery with a pre-dreadnought
armament. They were designed by L'Homme for the 1906 programme and were a considerable advance on previous French ships. They were however overshadowed by HMS Dreadnought
which was completed before they were laid down.
's First Squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Paul Chocheprat.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of French battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s built between 1907–1911, which served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The six ships in the class were all pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleships, the last of their kind produced in the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
.
Design and production
With minor individual variations, the Danton-class ships had a bow-to-stern length of 480 feet and a displacementDisplacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
of 18,400 tons. Their main batteries were four 12-inch guns
305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun
The 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy.The type was used on the s, mounted in two twin turrets. An improved variant, the 305mm/45 Modèle 1910 gun, was installed on the Courbet class.-See also:...
.
These ships were unusual in that they combined turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
propulsion machinery with a pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
armament. They were designed by L'Homme for the 1906 programme and were a considerable advance on previous French ships. They were however overshadowed by HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
which was completed before they were laid down.
Wartime service
The six Danton-class ships served together in the Eastern Mediterranean from 1914 to 1919. They formed the bulk of the French NavyFrench Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
's First Squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Paul Chocheprat.
Ships
- CondorcetFrench battleship Condorcet (1909)Condorcet was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy; the nature of her armament, which included an intermediate calibre between the main and anti-torpedo armament, has usually meant that, in common with , and the Japanese ships of the Aki class, she is regarded as a semi-dreadnought...
: Named after Marquis de CondorcetMarquis de CondorcetMarie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet , known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist whose Condorcet method in voting tally selects the candidate who would beat each of the other candidates in a run-off election...
. Built by AC de la Loire St Nazaire. Laid down 23 August 1907, launched 25 July 1909, and completed 25 July 1911. Depot ship after 1931, hulk scuttled at Toulon 1942. - DantonFrench battleship Danton (1909)Danton was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy and the lead ship of her class. She was a technological leap in battleship development for the French Navy, as she was the first ship in the fleet with turbine engines...
: Named after Georges DantonGeorges DantonGeorges Jacques Danton was leading figure in the early stages of the French Revolution and the first President of the Committee of Public Safety. Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed; many historians describe him as "the chief force in theoverthrow of the monarchy and the...
. Built by Arsenal de Brest. Laid down 1906, launched 4 July 1909, and completed 1 June 1911. Sunk by U-64 19 March 1917. Wreck discovered off Sardinia in December 2007 by a gas survey team. - DiderotFrench battleship Diderot (1909)The Diderot was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy.-Service History:She participated in the Battle of Antivari in 1914 when a French squadron sortied into the Adriatic and attempted to draw the Austro-Hungarian Navy into a fleet action....
: Named after Denis DiderotDenis DiderotDenis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
. Built by AC de la Loire St Nazaire. Laid down 20 October 1907, launched 19 April 1909, and completed 1 August 1911. Broken up 1937. - MirabeauFrench battleship Mirabeau (1909)The Mirabeau was a battleship of the French Navy which served during World War I. She belonged to the Danton-class of batteleships, among the last of the pre-dreadnought vessels. The Mirabeau was first commissioned in 1911, and served until she was badly damaged in the Black Sea in 1919...
: Named after Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau was a French revolutionary, as well as a writer, diplomat, freemason, journalist and French politician at the same time. He was a popular orator and statesman. During the French Revolution, he was a moderate, favoring a constitutional monarchy built on...
. Built by Arsenal de Lorient. Laid down 4 May 1908, launched 28 October 1909, and completed 1 August 1911. Ran aground near the CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
in 1919 but salvaged. Target ship 1921, broken up 1928. - VergniaudFrench battleship Vergniaud (1910)-Design and production:The Vergniaud was commissioned on 22 September 1911 and served throughout World War I. The ship was the last of the Danton-class of battleships to be commissioned, and as such she was the last pre-dreadnought naval vessel to be produced by France...
: Named after Pierre Victurnien VergniaudPierre Victurnien VergniaudPierre Victurnien Vergniaud was a lawyer and statesman, and a significant figure of the French Revolution. A deputy to the Assembly from Bordeaux, Vergniaud was a notably eloquent and impressive orator...
. Built by C de la Gironde, Bordeaux. Laid down July 1908, launched 12 April 1910, and completed 22 September 1911. Decommissioned 1921 and used as a target ship. Broken up 1928. - VoltaireFrench battleship Voltaire (1909)The Voltaire was a Danton-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy.During the First World War, she was hit by two torpedoes launched by the UB-48, but survived thanks to the compartments of her hull...
: Named after VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
. Built by FC de la Méditerranée, La Seyne. Laid down 20 July 1907, launched 1 August 1911, and completed 1 August 1911. Decommissioned 1935. Broken up 1939.