French cruiser Destrées

Destrées
History
France
Name: Destrées
Namesake: Victor-Marie d'Estrées
Laid down: 3 May 1897
Launched: 27 October 1897
Completed: 1899
In service: 1899
Out of service: 27 October 1922
Fate: Sold for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type: Destrées-class cruiser
Displacement: 2,500 tonnes (2,461 long tons)
Length: 95 m (311 ft 8 in)
Beam: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught: 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Installed power: 8,500 shp (6,338 kW)
Propulsion: 8 boilers
Speed: 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Complement: 235
Armament:
  • 2 × 138 mm (5.4 in) guns
  • 4 × 100 mm (3.9 in) guns
  • 8 × 47 mm (1.9 in) guns
  • 2 × 37 mm (1.5 in) guns

Destrées was a protected cruiser of the French Navy, named in honour of Victor-Marie d'Estrées, and lead ship of her class.

Service history

After her trials in 1900, Destrées was sent to Brest, where she was used for training. In 1902 she served in the Atlantic, and was placed on the Newfoundland station.[1]

At the outbreak of the First World War, she was appointed to the 2nd light cruiser squadron in the English Channel, before being sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in 1915.

On 30 April, she reached Port Said and was tasked with the defence of the Suez Canal. In September, she took part in rescue operations to save people from the Armenian Genocide.

After the War, she was sent to the Far East.

Struck in 1923, she was used as a support ship in Toulon before being sold for scrap.

References

  1. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Saturday, 10 May 1902. (36764), p. 8.
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