French cruiser Gueydon

Gueydon

Sister ship Montcalm at anchor, 1902
History
France
Name	Gueydon
Namesake	Louis Henri de Gueydon
Builder	Arsenal de Toulon
Launched	20 September 1899
In service	1 September 1903
Fate	Sunk by RAF aircraft, 13/14 August 1944
General characteristics
Class and type	Gueydon-class armoured cruiser
Displacement	9,548 tonnes (9,397 long tons)
Length	137.97 m (452 ft 8 in)
Beam	19.38 m (63 ft 7 in)
Draught	7.67 m (25 ft 2 in)
Installed power	20,000 PS (15,000 kW) 28 Niclausse boilers
Propulsion	3 Shafts, 3 vertical triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	566
Armament	2 × single 194 mm (7.6 in)/40 guns 8 × single 164 mm (6.5 in)/45 guns 4 × single 100 mm (3.9 in)/45 guns 10 × single 47 mm (1.9 in)/55 guns 4 × single 37 mm (1.5 in) guns 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armour	Waterline belt: 80–150 mm (3.1–5.9 in) Deck: 30–55 mm (1.2–2.2 in) Gun turrets: 160–176 mm (6.3–6.9 in)

The French cruiser Gueydon was the name ship of her class of armoured cruisers built for the French Navy in the 1890s.

Design and description

Designed by the naval architect Emile Bertin, the Gueydon-class ships were intended to fill the commerce-raiding strategy of the Jeune École. They measured 137.97 meters (452 ft 8 in) long overall with a beam of 19.38 meters (63 ft 7 in) and had a draught of 7.67 meters (25 ft 2 in). Gueydon displaced 9,548 metric tons (9,397 long tons). The ship had a crew of 566 officers and enlisted men.^[1]

The Gueydon class had three vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft. Steam for Gueydon's engines was provided by 28 Niclausse boilers and they were rated at a total of 20,000 metric horsepower (15,000 kW) that gave them a speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). The ships could carry enough coal to steam for 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[2]

The Gueydons had a main armament that consisted of two 40-caliber 194 mm (7.6 in) guns that were mounted in single gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. Their secondary armament comprised eight 45-caliber quick-firing (QF) Canon de 164 mm (6.5 in) Modèle 1893 guns in casemates. For anti-torpedo boat defense, they carried four 45-caliber QF Canon de 100 mm (3.9 in) Modèle 1891 guns on the forecastle deck, as well as ten QF 47 mm (1.9 in) and four QF 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns. They were also armed with two submerged 450-millimetre (17.7 in) torpedo tubes.^[1][2]

The Harvey armor belt of the Gueydon-class cruisers covered most of the ships' hull. The lower strake of armor was generally 150 millimetres (5.9 in) thick, although it reduced to 91 millimetres (3.6 in) forward, 81 millimetres (3.2 in) aft. The curved lower protective deck ranged in thickness from 51 to 56 millimetres (2.0 to 2.2 in). The gun turrets were protected by 160–176-millimetre (6.3–6.9 in) armor and had roofs 23 millimetres (0.9 in) thick.^[1][2]

Construction and career

Gueydon was named in honour of Louis Henri de Gueydon, first governor of Algeria under the 3rd Republic. She was commissioned in Toulon harbour in 1903, and undertook a first campaign to East Asia. She took part in the First World War, supervising patrols in Southern America and in the Caribbean.

In 1923, she was refitted in Brest harbour. In 1926, she was again modified to serve as a gunnery school; she entered this role the following year, replacing the armoured cruiser Pothuau in Brest.

In 1941, her hull was used by the Germans (with two old French sloops) to form the basis for a decoy-dummy of the Prinz Eugen.

The hulk of Gueydon was bombed by aircraft from the RAF's 617 Squadron on 13 and 14 August 1944, along with the other hulks at Brest, to prevent them from being used by the Germans as blockships. The wreck was broken up after the end of the war.

Notes

References

• Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "France". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 283–333. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
• Jordan, John & Caresse, Philippe (2019). French Armoured Cruisers 1887–1932. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4118-9.
• Roberts, Stephen S. (2021). French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4533-0.
• Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.

This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 09:26