Ship Type Menu.Converted screw ships of the line (1st class)
MONTEBELLO (launched 1852)
SOUVERAIN (launched 1854)
LOUIS XIV (launched 1857)
VILLE DE PARIS (launched 1858)
MONTEBELLO converted screw ship of the line (1st class)| Displacement: | 4830t |
| Dimensions: | 207ft 4in wl, 207ft 9in deck x 56ft 2in ext x 24ft 11in mean, 26ft 3in max. |
| Same, meters: | 63.20, 63.31 x 17.12 x 7.59, 7.99m |
| Machinery: | 140nhp (Indret). Coal 199t |
| Hull material: | wood |
| Armament: | (1852) GD 28-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; MD 28-30p No.2, 4-22cm No.2 shell; UD 34-30p No.3; SD 10-16cm shell. (1860, training ship) GD 8-16cm M1858 MLR, 2-50p, 6-36p, 8-22cm No.1 shell, 8-30p No.1; MD 8-22cm No.2 shell, 20-30p No.2; UD 6-30p No.3, 6-16cm shell; SD 2-16cm rifles, 2-30p No.4, 12-30p carr. |
| Complement: | 1063 |
| Name | Conversion | Started | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| MONTEBELLO | Toulon | 1.4.51 | 23.8.52 | 25.8.52 | Stk. 25.7.67 |
Class. In 6.49 the navy examined a proposal to give a 120-gun ship a steam engine considerably smaller than the one planned for
Charlemagne. An engine of 120nhp would give the ship a maximum speed under steam of only 4 1/2 knots, but would not detract from its sailing qualities or military strength and would not require it to sacrifice any of its 6 months of provisions. In 12.49 the minister ordered the ports to prepare plans for fitting all four classes of ships of the line with such machinery, and on 12.2.51
Montebello was chosen for the first conversion. Conversion plans by Dupuy de Lôme were approved in 5.51. The successful trials of ships with more powerful engines, first
Charlemagne and then
Napoléon, eclipsed this concept and
Montebello remained the only French ship of her type.
Montebello relieved
Suffren and served as gunnery training ship at Toulon between 1860 and 1865.
Disposal. Montebello became a barracks hulk at Toulon and was BU 1889.
SOUVERAIN converted screw ship of the line (1st class)| Displacement: | 5096t |
| Dimensions: | 205ft 5in wl, 208ft 2in deck x 56ft 11in ext x 26ft 0in mean, 27ft 6in max. |
| Same, meters: | 62.61, 63.45 x 17.34 x 7.93, 8.38m |
| Machinery: | 600nhp (Toulon). 2 cylinders, return connecting rod, trials 1618ihp = 10.45kts. Coal 445t |
| Hull material: | wood |
| Armament: | (1857) GD 16-36p, 16-22cm No.1 shell; MD 24-30p No.2, 8-22cm No.2 shell; UD 32-16cm shell; SD 2-16cm rifles, 12-30p carr. (1877, training ship) GD 2-24cm, 4-19cm, 6-16cm, 2-10cm; MD 16-14cm, 2-10cm (all BLR) |
| Complement: | 1079 |
| Name | Conversion | Started | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| SOUVERAIN | Toulon | 11.53 | 11.54 | 16.3.57 | Stk. 8.12.85 |
Class. Toulon reported in 7.53 that
Souverain would probably need a refit and recommended fitting her with steam machinery. On 5.4.54 the minister ordered Toulon to begin conversion of the hull on plans just completed by Silvestre du Perron, and at the end of the year he ordered it to build the machinery with help from the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (Philip Taylor), which was to make some of the parts. The machinery was designed by Dupuy de Lôme as a scaled down version of the 900nhp set he had designed for
Algésiras.
Souverain's engines were removed in 1877 and she replaced
Alexandre as gunnery training ship at Toulon.
Disposal. Souverain was replaced as training ship by the ironclad
Couronne in 1885 and became a barracks hulk at Toulon for the Naval Infantry. She was BU 1905.
LOUIS XIV converted screw ship of the line (1st class)| Displacement: | 5170t |
| Dimensions: | 207ft 7in wl, 209ft 8in deck x 57ft 1in ext x 25ft 11in mean, 27ft 5in max. |
| Same, meters: | 63.28, 63.90 x 17.40 x 7.90, 8.35m |
| Machinery: | 600nhp (Napier). Coal 500t |
| Hull material: | Wood |
| Armament: | (1858) GD 28-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; MD 30-30p No.2, 4-22cm No.2 shell; UD 34-30p; SD 2-16cm rifles, 14-30p carr. (1861, training ship) GD 8-16cm rifles, 2-50p, 6-36p, 8-30p No.1, 8-22cm No.1 shell; MD 20-30p No.2, 8-22cm No.2 shell; UD 6-30p No.3, 2-30p No.4, 6-16cm shell, 6-30p carr.; SD 2-16cm rifles. |
| Complement: | 1079 |
| Name | Conversion | Started | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| LOUIS XIV | Brest | 9.56 | 1857 | 25.8.57 | Stk. 3.5.80 |
Class. The machinery for this ship was ordered in 2.56 and an option under the contract was taken up in 3.56 for a second 600nhp set for the proposed conversion of
Valmy at Toulon. This second engine was cancelled in 5.56 and replaced with two of 500nhp for
Tage and
Duguay Trouin.
Louis XIV was converted on plans by Chariot approved in 9.56. She became gunnery training ship at Brest in 1861, moved to Toulon and relieved
Montebello in 1865, and continued to serve as training ship to 1872.
Disposal. Louis XIV was BU 1882.
VILLE DE PARIS converted screw ship of the line (1st class)| Displacement: | 5302 |
| Dimensions: | 226ft 7in wl, 224ft 9in deck x 56ft 3in ext x 25ft 9in mean, 27ft 4in max. Depth 24ft 6in |
| Same, meters: | 69.05, 68.50 x 17.15 x 7.84, 8.34m. 7.46m |
| Machinery: | 600nhp (FCM). Trials 1581ihp = 10.59kts. Coal 450t |
| Hull material: | Wood |
| Armament: | (1859) GD 16-36p, 16-22cm No.1 shell; MD 24-30p No.2, 8-22cm No.2 shell (replaced in 1862 by 8 more 30p No.2); UD 32-16cm shell; SD 2-16cm rifles, 8-16cm shell (replaced in 1862 by 8-30p carr.). |
| Complement: | 1079 |
| Name | Conversion | Started | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| VILLE DE PARIS | Toulon | 7.57 | 5.58 | 1.8.58 | Stk. 7.2.82 |
Class. This ship and her sister
Friedland were among 8 battleships for which machinery was ordered in May-July 1856.
Friedland's conversion, also planned for Toulon, was never ordered and her machinery was used in
Turenne. Hull plans for
Ville de Paris by De Coppier were approved in 9.57 and provided for modifying the stern for the screw and lengthening the bow by 17ft 8in.
Ville de Paris was reclassified as a steam transport in 1870 but remained in reserve until stricken.
Disposal. Ville de Paris became a barracks hulk at Toulon and was BU 1899.
Copyright © Stephen S. Roberts 2004-2015.