NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Edgar Quinet			Arsenal de Brest	6.11.1905	21.9.1907	1.1911	TS 1928, wrecked 9.1.1930
Waldeck-Rousseau			Arsenal de Lorient	15.6.1906	4.3.1908	8.8.1911	hulk 6.1936

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	Edgar Quinet: 13847 Waldeck-Rousseau: 13995
Displacement full, t
Length, m	158.9
Breadth, m	21.5
Draught, m	8.41 max
No of shafts	3
Machinery	Edgar Quinet: 3 VTE, 40 Belleville boilers Waldeck-Rousseau: 3 VTE, 42 Niclausse boilers
Power, h. p.	36000
Max speed, kts	23
Fuel, t	coal 2260
Endurance, nm(kts)	6500(10)
Armour, mm	belt: 150 - 38, turrets: 200, turret bases: up to 200, casemates: 190, lower deck: 65 - 45, main deck: 35, CT: 200, tube: 150
Armament	2 x 2 - 194/50 M1902, 10 x 1 - 194/50 M1902, 20 x 1 - 65/50 M1902, 2 - 450 TT (sub, beam)
Complement	859 - 892

Project history

Last and the most powerful French armoured cruiser, created on the basis of Ernest Renan, but armed with uniform calibre guns. 194mm guns had firing rate of 4 shots/min, at can be reloaded at any elevation angle. The firing range was 14km, and after modernization 18km. At the same time, these cruiser became outdated by her concept already during building.

Ship protection

Main belt extended from 1.3m below water to 2.3m above and to upper deck in fwd part between stem and the aft end of fwd casemate, ending by 90mm bulkhead just near the stern. Its thickness was 150mm (between just fwd of the foremast and just abaft the mainmast) reducing to 70mm forward, 85mm aft and 90-40mm to the upper deck forward. Thickness of main belt near ship ends was 100mm decreasing to 70mm at raising fore part. Lower deck had 45mm flat part (increasing to 70mm over the rudder) connecting with lower edge of main belt by 65mm slopes. 35mm flat medium deck connected with top of main belt. A space between these decks was divided into many small compartments, filled with coal or stores. Casemates had 20mm rears, forward casemates were closed by 195mm fwd and 120mm aft transverse bulkheads, aft casemates were linked by 120mm fwd and 195mm aft ones. Main turrets had 50mm crowns, secondary had 30mm.

Modernizations

1916 - 1918: some 47/50 and 65/50 AA guns were added

1928, Edgar Quinet: funnels No 1 and 6 were removed; - 4 x 1 - 194/50; + 2 seaplanes

1930, Waldeck-Rousseau: + 1 seaplane

Naval service

Edgar Quinet in 1925-1927 was converted to midshipmen TS (having four funnels, modified bridge, 10 194mm guns and 2 seaplanes), 4.1.1930 wrecked on the Algerian coast off Cape Blanc and sunk five days later. Waldeck-Rousseau was laid up into reserve in 1932.