Ship Type Menu.Paddle corvettes (2nd class, 220 nhp, launched 1844-49)
CASSINI (launched 1845)
TITAN (launched 1844)
NEWTON (launched 1848)
LABORIEUX (launched 1848)
SOUFFLEUR (launched 1849)
CASSINI paddle corvette (2nd class)| Displacement: | 1175t |
| Dimensions: | 177ft 2in wl x 30ft 10in mld, 31ft 6in ext x 14ft 3in mean |
| Same, meters: | 54.00 x 9.40, 9.60 x 4.35m |
| Machinery: | 220nhp (Schneider). Side-lever, 440ihp, 10.80kts |
| Hull material: | Wood |
| Armament: | (Orig) 2-22cm No.2 shell, 2-30p No.1 |
| Complement: | 123 |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| CASSINI | Lorient | 10.4.43 | 22.4.45 | 1.5.45 | Stk. 9.11.63 |
Class. Engines were ordered in 5.42 for a new 220nhp steamer, and plans by Le Grix for the ship were approved in 12.42.
Cassini was built with conventional side-lever engines for comparison with the direct-acting machinery installed in her contemporary,
Titan.
Cassini was converted into a steam mortar vessel in 1855 with 2 mortars and 2 smoothbores and served at the bombardment of the forts at Kinburn.
Disposal. Cassini became a storage hulk and was BU 1869.
TITAN paddle corvette (2nd class)| Displacement: | 1049t |
| Dimensions: | 174ft 6in wl, 176ft 9in deck x 30ft 6in mld, 31ft 0in x 12ft 8in mean, 12ft 11in max. |
| Same, meters: | 53.20, 53.87 x 9.30, 9.45 x 3.85, 3.93m |
| Machinery: | 220nhp (Cavé). Oscillating cylinders, direct, 9kts. Coal 175t |
| Hull material: | Wood |
| Armament: | (Orig) 4-16cm shell |
| Complement: | 123 |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| TITAN | Toulon | 11.10.42 | 19.3.44 | 1.6.44 | Stk. 4.5.68 |
Class. Of the three 220nhp steamers planned for construction in 1842 (
Titan,
Cassini and
Chaptal), two became experiments with new types of machinery. The builder of
Titan's engines, Cavé, was an early advocate of direct-acting engines with oscillating cylinders, and he produced his own variations on a standard pattern developed by Penn in England. The engines of
Titan and the ones put in
Newton were ordered in 9.42 and were early examples of this type. Boucher designed the hull with special internal arrangements for use as a hospital ship, because a new ship was needed to replace converted steamers then supporting the army in Algeria. His plans, approved in 7.42, provided for rapid conversion back to an armed steamer. The beam over
Titan's paddle boxes was 51ft 9in.
Titan was one of the first large French naval steamers designed with only two masts. This rig was proposed in 7.43 to avoid problems in fitting her engines, but by this time the navy was also dissatisfied with the three-masted rig of its steamers because the sails on the mizzen mast had proven to be practically useless and the mainmast could not carry square sails because of its proximity to the funnel. The French were also influenced by the fact that nearly all British steamers in the 220-320nhp range had two masts.
Disposal. Titan became a coal hulk and was BU 1896.
NEWTON paddle corvette (2nd class)| Displacement: | 924t |
| Dimensions: | 177ft 10in wl, 190ft 1in deck x 29ft 5in ext x 11ft 5in mean and max. |
| Same, meters: | 54.20, 57.95 x 8.96 x 3.48m |
| Machinery: | 220nhp (Cavé). Oscillating cylinders, direct, tubular boilers. Coal 190t |
| Hull material: | Iron |
| Armament: | (1856) 6-16cm shell |
| Complement: | 123 (est.) |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| NEWTON | Cherbourg | 3.11.45 | 14.10.48 | 1.9.49 | Lost 10.6.57 |
Class. In 11.44 the minister decided to build this ship and give her the paddle engines ordered in 9.42 for the corvette
Chaptal, which subsequently received a screw propeller. Hull plans by Moissard, a naval engineer who specialized in designing post office packets, were approved in 1.45. The use of an iron hull resulted in a substantial saving in weight compared to earlier 220nhp ships. The beam over her paddles was 51ft 2in.
Disposal. Newton was lost at Newfoundland.
LABORIEUX paddle corvette (2nd class)| Displacement: | 849t |
| Dimensions: | 147ft 8in wl, 158ft 10in deck x 27ft 5in mld, 27ft 11in x 13ft 2in mean, 13ft 8in max. |
| Same, meters: | 45.00, 48.40 x 8.35, 8.50 x 4.01, 4.17m |
| Machinery: | 220nhp (Rochefort). Side-lever, tubular boilers |
| Hull material: | Wood |
| Armament: | (1853) 2 carronades |
| Complement: | 123 |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| LABORIEUX | Rochefort | 6.47 | 29.7.48 | 3.5.49 | Stk. 5.12.61 |
Class. This ship was built to use 220nhp engines ordered for
Coligny in 1843. She was classified as a corvette but was designed and used as a tug in the vicinity of Rochefort. Her hull, designed by De Senneville, was originally to have been iron but was changed to wood at Rochefort's request. The plans were approved in 5.47.
Disposal. Laborieux replaced the sail brig-aviso
Alcyone as station ship at Ile d'Aix in 1853. She became a hulk and was BU 1879.
SOUFFLEUR paddle corvette (2nd class)| Displacement: | 700t |
| Dimensions: | 150ft 11in wl, 161ft 5in deck x 27ft 4in x 11ft 1in mean, 11ft 2in max. |
| Same, meters: | 46.00, 49.20 x 8.32 x 3.38, 3.40m |
| Machinery: | 220nhp (Indret). Side-lever. Coal 150t |
| Hull material: | Iron |
| Armament: | (1856) 2-12p carronades |
| Complement: | 123 |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| SOUFFLEUR | Indret | 6.47 | 17.9.49 | 22.2.50 | Stk. 12.7.87 |
Class. This ship was built to use a 220nhp engine ordered for
Eclaireur in 1843. She was classified as a corvette but was designed as a tug for use in the vicinity of Brest. Plans by Gervaize were approved in 1.47.
Disposal. Souffleur was BU 1888.
Copyright © Stephen S. Roberts 2004-2015.