Screw transports (small)

Ship Type Menu.
Transports, Small (screw)

ZELEE (200 tons, 60 HP, wood, converted sail)
LOIRET class (300 tons, 100 HP, wood)
ADOUR class (900 tons, 120 HP, iron)
SEVRE class (900 tons, 120 HP, iron)
MOSELLE (900 tons, 120 HP, acquired)

ZELEE transport (200 tons, 60 HP, wood)

Displacement:	540t
Dimensions:	104ft 8in x 28ft 9in x 13ft 0in
Same, meters:	31.90 x 8.77 x 3.95m
Machinery:	60nhp (Maudslay, from Antilope), 5.2kts.
Hull material:	Wood
Armament:	12-18p carr., 2-6p (maximum)
Complement:	?

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commiss.	Fate
ZELEE	Toulon	1811	2.12	--	Stk. 31.12.63

Class. On 28.8.52 the Minister of Marine ordered Toulon to draw plans for the conversion of a "corvette à batterie barbette" to a 50 hp transport for service on the west coast of Africa. Toulon recommended selecting the former gabarre Zélée, which had been built with slight modifications on the standard gabarre-écurie plans produced by Pestel. The Toulon naval constructor Delacour produced plans and proposed using the Maudslay engines of Antilope (an aviso acquired in 1844 and condemned on 4.6.51). These plans were not accepted, but subsequent plans by Schlumberger, another Toulon engineer, were adopted in 1853. The ship was converted in 1853-4. She was a "transport mixte" (mixed-propulsion transport) whose small steam engine augmented her ability to navigate by sail.

Disposals. Zélée was a powder hulk at Lorient until 1887.

LOIRET transports (300 tons, 100 HP, wood)

Displacement:	1131t
Dimensions:	187ft 0in x 29ft 9in wl x 13ft 5in mean, 14ft 10in max. Depth 11ft 10in
Same, meters:	57.0 x 9.06 x 4.1, 4.52m. 3.61m
Machinery:	100nhp (Mazeline, from Biche, in Loiret, Cherbourg in Somme). Trials: 323ihp = 8.10kts. (Loiret, 1868)
Hull material:	Wood
Armament:	(Somme, 1862) 2-30p #2, 4-30 carr., 2-12p shell 2-12cm (presently 4-14cm) (Dislere, Loiret)
Complement:	?

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commiss.	Fate
LOIRET	Cherbourg	16.10.55	15.9.56	29.6.57	Stk. 4.1.82
SOMME	Cherbourg	16.10.55	15.10.56	1.8.57	Stk. 27.6.72

Class. On 14.7.55 Guesnet completd plans for a wood "transport mixte" of 120 hp and 300 tons with hoisting screw propellers, and the plans were approved by the Minister of Marine on 24.8.55 for two ships to be built at Cherbourg. Loiret received the engine that had been removed from the "corvette mixte" Biche, while a new 100 hp engine was built at Cherbourg for Somme. Loiret probably received new engines from Mazeline that had been ordered on 8.2.61. They were the antecedents of the many wooden-hulled small "transports-avisos" built between 1862 and 1890, although the hull dimensions of these were closer those of the somewhat larger Moselle, below.

Disposals. Somme served as a hulk ("ponton-amiral") at Brest until sold for scrapping on 10.9.82.

ADOUR class transports (900 tons, 120 HP, iron)

Displacement:	2219.4 (Ariege as mod.)
Dimensions:	255ft 3in wl x 33ft 10in ext x 16ft 9in mean, 18ft 10in max. Depth 16ft 2in (Ariege as modified)
Same, meters:	71.81 x 10.30 x 5.098, 5.738m. 4.92m
Machinery:	120nhp (Taylor). 720ihp (designed). Trials: 788.8ihp = 10.365kts (Ariege, 1873)
Hull material:	Iron
Armament:	4-14cm
Complement:	181

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commiss.	Fate
ADOUR	La Seyne	21.6.55	31.5.56	4.59	Stk. 26.2.86
ARIEGE	La Seyne	7.55	31.7.56	25.1.59	Stk. 13.5.95

Class. On 9.8.54 the Minister of Marine asked the Council of Works to prepare specifications for an iron-hulled transport with a capacity of 500-600 tons and a speed of 8 knots. The specifications were sent to the ports on 27.9.54 with a request that engineers there propose plans. The Council of Works noted on 23.1.55 that the Minister now wanted to have Taylor at La Seyne and Guibert at Nantes each build two of these ships, and it recommended adopting plans by de Roussel for use by Taylor. De Roussel's plans had been completed on 8.11.54 and approved by the Minister of Marine on 23.1.55. Taylor was to build the engines for his ships. They were described as "transports de matériel," making them functional successors of the sailing gabarres. Adour was initially commissioned on 18.1.57 and Ariège was initially commissioned on 21.3.57, decommissioned on 16.3.58, and recommissioned on 25.1.59. Ariège became known as one of the worst sea boats in the fleet, was hauled out at Lorient in 1870, and was modified in 1873 to plans by Barba, although plans for her reconfiguration had been prepared as early as 1866.

Disposals. Adour was a repair hulk at Haiphong until 1895 and was scrapped there in 1905. Ariège was sold at Diègo Suarez in 1896 for scrapping.

SEVRE class transports (900 tons, 120 hp, iron)

Displacement:	1841t
Dimensions:	235ft 11in wl x 34ft 3in wl x 13ft 9in mean. Depth 13ft 7in
Same, meters:	71.90 x 10.44 x 4.2m. 4.15m
Machinery:	120nhp (Indret). 346ihp (Mayenne)
Hull material:	Iron
Armament:	2-12cm
Complement:	?

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commiss.	Fate
SEVRE	Nantes	1.6.55	22.6.57	7.1.59	Lost 6.2.71
MAYENNE	Nantes	1.6.55	18.9.57	1.3.59	Stk. 1.9.76

Class. Class. On 9.8.54 the Minister of Marine asked the Council of Works to prepare specifications for an iron-hulled transport with a capacity of 500-600 tons and a speed of 8 knots. The specifications were sent to the ports on 27.9.54 with a request that engineers there propose plans. The Council of Works noted on 23.1.55 that the Minister now wanted to have Taylor at La Seyne and Guibert at Nantes each build two of these ships, and it recommended adopting plans by de Senneville for use by Guibert. Guibert's contract was dated 8.2.55. Gâche (soon changed to Indret) was to build the engines for Guibert's ships. They were described as "transports de matériel" and were intended to carry cargo but not troops. Sèvre first commissioned on 25.8.57, decommissioned on 1.2.58, and recommissioned on 7.1.59, and Mayenne first commissioned on 22.10.57, decommissioned on 23.4.58, and recommissioned on 1.3.59.

Disposals. Sèvre was driven aground by the raz Blanchard, a strong tidal current between France and the Channel Islands, on 6.2.71. Mayenne was transferred to the Empire of Annam (Indochina) in 1876.

MOSELLE transport (900 tons, 120 hp.)

Displacement:	ca. 1215t
Dimensions:	204ft 1in wl x 30ft 8in wl x 16ft 5in mean. Depth 15ft 9in
Same, meters:	62.20 x 9.35 x 5.0m. 4.80m
Machinery:	120nhp. Trials (1867): 262ihp = 6.56 knots (in heavy weather and fully loaded)
Hull material:	Iron
Armament:	2 small (espingoles)
Complement:	?

Name	Builder	Launched	Commiss.	Fate
MOSELLE	Govan	11.12.56	26.5.59	Stk. 9.2.87

Class. Elizabeth Jane, an iron-hulled 160 HP mixed-propulsion merchant ship completed in 1857 by J. & G. Thompson, Govan, Scotland, (their hull 31) was purchased by the French Navy on 25.5.59 as a "transport de materiel." Until then sailing gabarres had been used for this purpose. The name Moselle was recommended for this ship on 27.5.59. The French liked her enough to build two iron-hulled copies in the early 1860s, Vienne and Isère, and the iron Caravane of the early 1870s was also based on the plans of Moselle.