This is the second part dealing with the French Navy

Screw gun boats

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Aigrette	1st		110	4
Alarme	1st		110	4
Avalanche	1st		110	4
Dragonne	1st		110	4
Eclair	1st		110	4
Etincelle	1st		110	4
Flamme	1st		110	4
Fleche	1st		110	4
Fulminante	1st		110	4
Fusee	1st		110	4
Grenade	1st		110	4
Mitraille	1st		110	4
Arquebuse	2nd		90	2
Lance	2nd		90	2
Poudre	2nd		90	2
Redoute	2nd		90	2
Sainte Barbe	2nd		90	2
Salve	2nd		90	2
Tempete	2nd		90	2
Tourmente	2nd		90	2

All of these, and the following gun vessels, were built for the Crimean War.

Screw gun vessels

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Alerte			25	3
Bourrasque			25	3
Couleuvrine			25	3
Meurtriere			25	3
Mutine			25	3
Rafale			25	3
Stridente			25	3
Tirailleuse			25	3

Steam transports with auxiliary screws

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Dordogn	1200		160	4
Durance	1200		160	4
Gironde	1200		160	4
Isere	1200		160	4
Loire	1200		160	4
Marne	1200		160	4
Meurthe	1200		160	4
Meuse	1200		160	4
Nievre	1200		160	4
Rhin	1200		160	4
Saone	1200		160	4
Seine	1200		160	4	iron
Yonne	1200		160	4
Adour	900		120	4	iron
Ariege	900		120	4	iron
Loiret	300		100	4
Somme	300		100	4
Zelee	200		60	2	conversion
Calvados	1200		250	4
Aube	1200		250	4	building
Finisterre	1200		250	4	building
Garonne	1200		250	4	building
Jura	1200		250	4	building
Rhone	1200		250	4	building
Mayenn	900		120	4	iron, building
Sevre	900		120	4	iron, building

For transports rate was by tons of cargo. Calvados was the first of the new class to carry 2500 men, 150 horses and 1200 tons of stores. Excepting the ancient Zelee, these were new ships.

Steam frigates (paddle)

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Mogador		2700	650	8
Descartes		2980	540	20
Vauban		2820	540	20
Albatros		2460	450	14
Asmodee		2700	450	16
Cacique		2680	450	14
Caffarelli		2700	450	12
Canada		2470	450	14
Christophe Colombe		2480	450	14
Darien		2470	450	14
Eldorado		2560	450	14
Gomer		2700	450	20
Labrador		2460	450	14
Magellan		2460	450	14
Montezuma		2460	450	14
Orenoque		2460	450	14
Panama		2460	450	14
Sane			450	20
Ulloa		2470	450	14

Sane is not listed by Conways. Asmodee is said to have been typical of larger French paddle frigates, but most were of similar size. She was 238′8″ long on deck, 40′10″ beam and 18′2″ draft. She carried 12 30-pr guns and 4 80-pr and 4 30-pr shell guns. New she made between 11 and 12 knots. Gomer apparently never carried the 20 guns listed, the usual armament being 2 80-pr shell guns and 6 30-pr guns. These ships were from 10 to 20 years old.

Steam corvettes (paddle)

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Berthollet		1600	400	10
Catinat		1600	400	10
Colbert		1270	320	6
Prony		1350	320	5
Coligny		900	300	4	iron hull
Eumenide		900	300	4	iron hull
Gorgone		900	300	4	iron hull
Tanger		900	300	4
Tisiphone		900	300	6

Eumenide was 196′ long on deck, 30′7″ beam, 11′ draft and either 916 or 1016 tons. New and clean she made 8 knots and was initially armed with 2 30-pr guns and 4 30-pr shell guns. These ships were all around 10 years old.

Avisos (paddle)

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Cameleo	1st		220	6
Cassini	1st	1080	220	4+2M
Gassendi	1st	1260	220	6
Laborieux	1st	850	220	2
Lavoisier	1st	1260	220	6
Newton	1st		220	6	iron hull
Souffleur	1st		220	2	iron hull
Titan	1st	940	220	2
Veloce	1st	1260	220	6
Eclaireur	1st		200	2	iron hull
Goeland	1st		200	4M	iron hull
Heron	1st		200	4	iron hull
Milan	1st		200	4
Mouette	1st		200	2	iron hull
Phenix	1st		200	4	iron hull
Promethee	1st		200	4M2	iron hull
Dauphin	2nd		180	2	iron hull
Requin	2nd		180	4	iron hull
Tenare	2nd		180	4
Acheron	2nd	900	160	4
Ardent	2nd	900	160	4
Australie	2nd	800	160	4M	iron hull
Brandon	2nd	900	160	6
Cerbere	2nd	900	160	2
Chimere	2nd	900	160	4
Cocyte	2nd	900	160	6
Epervier	2nd		160	4M	iron hull
Euphrate	2nd	900	160	2
Fulton	2nd	900	160	2
Gregois	2nd	900	160	2
Grondeur	2nd	900	160	4
Meteore	2nd	900	160	2
Narval	2nd	800	160	4	iron hull
Phare	2nd	900	160	4
Sesotris	2nd	900	160	4+2M
Solon	2nd	800	160	2	iron hull
Styx	2nd	900	160	4
Tartare	2nd	900	160	2
Tonnerre	2nd	900	160	4
Vautour	2nd	900	160	2M
Antilope	2nd		150		iron hull
Chamois	2nd		150	2	iron, bought
Ajaccio	2nd		120	2	bought
Bisson	2nd		120	2
Daim	2nd		120	4M
Flambeau	2nd		120	2
Galilee	2nd	240	120	2
Anacreon	2nd		100	2	iron hull
Averne	2nd		100	2M	iron hull
Voyageur	2nd		100	4

The 160 NHP avisos of the Sphinx class were of 910 tons, 158′2″ on deck, 37′6″ beam and drew 12′6″ of water. They made around 8 knots when new. The usual armament was 2 or 4 30-pr shell guns or 6 24-pr carronades. These were rather old ships built from the late 1820s to early 1840s.

The newer 160 NHP iron ships, presumably including Epervier, were of the Narval class. Narval was built in 1843-1844 and was 45m long and 8m beam, rigged as a brig.

Laborieux was a much newer ship, usually used as a tug. She displaced 849 tons, was 158′10″ on deck, 27′11″ beam and 13′8″ draft. She made 8 knots when new and normally carried only 2 carronades.

Galilee measured 42m x 6m58 (11m53 over the sponsons) x 2m35 draft. She was used to test chloroform as the working fluid in the engines with the idea of avoiding boiler corrosion. This was not a great success as chloroform was expensive and boiler tubes continued to corrode all the same, so she was converted in 1855 to use methanol instead. Wood alcohol was cheaper, otherwise there was little improvement.

Steam tenders (paddle)

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Rubis			70	2	bought
Chacal			60	2M	bought
Dialmanth			60
Liamone			60	2M	bought
Marabout			60	4M	iron hull
Podor			60
Rapide			60	2
Grand Bassam			40	4M
Basilic			30	2M	iron hull
Serpent			30	2M	iron hull
Econome			25	2M
Surveillant			25	2M
Akba			20	2M	iron hull
Oyapock			20	2M

Sailing line of battle ships

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Valmy	1st	5231	n/a	114
Hercule	2nd	4440	n/a	90
Jemappes	2nd	4440	n/a	90
Iena	3rd		n/a	82
Inflexible	3rd		n/a	82
Jupiter	3rd		n/a	80
Neptune	3rd		n/a	80
Suffren	3rd	4050	n/a	82	6 rifled guns
Alger	4th		n/a	70
Duperre	4th		n/a	70
Marengo	4th		n/a	70
Trident	4th		n/a	70
Ville de Marseille	4th		n/a	70

Busk lists Hercule and Jemappes as ordered converted to screw, but this was never done. These two ships were famously bad sailors and as a result their sister ships were reworked to produce the Duguay-Trouin class of 90 gun auxiliary steamers. Suffren was test ship for the new M1858 rifled guns. Many of Suffren’s sister ships became 80 gun auxiliary steamers of the Bayard class. Friedland should be listed here as she remained a sailing 3-decker, details similar to Valmy. Valmy, Friedland and their steam sisters sailed and manouevred badly.

Valmy was 64m20 long on the lower deck, 16m80 beam, 8m55 depth of hold and 8m30 extreme draft. For Hercule the same measurements were 62m50, 16m20, 8m23 and 7m96 and for Suffren 60m50, 15m75, 8m02 and 7m83.

Sailing frigates

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
*Guerriere	1st	3935	n/a	56	building
*Pallas	1st	3935	n/a	56	building
*Victoire	1st	3935	n/a	56	building
Andromaque	1st		n/a	56
Belle Poule	1st	2550	n/a	56
Didon	1st		n/a	56
Forte	1st		n/a	56
Independante	1st		n/a	56
Iphigenie	1st		n/a	56
Perseverante	1st		n/a	56
Uranie	1st		n/a	56
Vengeance	1st		n/a	56
Cleopatre	2nd		n/a	38
Nemesis	2nd		n/a	46
*Astree	2nd	3000	n/a	46	building
*Circe		2nd	n/a	46	building
*Flore	2nd	3430	n/a	46	building
*Hermione		2nd	n/a	46	building
*Junon	2nd		n/a	46	building
*Magicienne	2nd	3355	n/a	46	building
*Themis	2nd		n/a	46	building
Nereide	2nd	2340	n/a	52
Alceste	2nd		n/a	52
Andromede	2nd		n/a	52
Poursuivante	2nd		n/a	52
Reine Blanche	2nd		n/a	52
Sibylle	2nd		n/a	52
Sirene	2nd		n/a	52
Virginie	2nd		n/a	52
*Armorique	3rd	2740	n/a	42	building
*Resolue	3rd	1795	n/a	42	building
Africaine	3rd		n/a	42
Algerie	3rd		n/a	42
Constitution	3rd		n/a	42
Erigone	3rd		n/a	42
Heliopolis	3rd		n/a	42
Isis	3rd		n/a	42
Jeanne d’Arc	3rd		n/a	42
Penelope	3rd		n/a	42
Psyche	3rd		n/a	42

Ships marked * were converted to screw and details are in Conways. The 56 gun 1st rates were rearmed with 36 6.4-in and 5.5-in RML guns. Guerriere measured 245′ on the waterline, 47′10″ in the beam and drew 24′7″ of water. Top speed was about 11 knots. The smaller conversions carried 24 or more guns and made about 10-11 knots.

Most likely all of the 1st class frigates were begun as ships of the Belle Poule class with a displacement of 2550 tons, 54m40 long on deck, 14m10 beam, 7m10 depth of hold and 6m75 extreme draft. The 2nd class 52 gun frigates were likely all Artemise class ships of 2340 tons displacement, 52m50 deck, 13m40 beam, 7m10 depth of hold and 6m50 extreme draft.

The armament of sailing frigates was standardised on 30-prs. The 1837 regulations, which can have changed little before the adoption of rifled guns, called for a first class frigate to carry 60 guns: 28 30-pr long guns and 2 80-pr shell guns on the gun deck and 26 30-pr carronades and 4 30-pr shell guns on the spar deck. Frigates of the second and third classes carried 30-prs only: 28 short guns on the gun deck and 18 carronades and 4 shell guns on the spar deck for a second class of 50 guns; 22 short guns and 4 shell guns on the gun deck and 14 carronades on the spar deck for a third class of 40 guns.

Sailing corvettes

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Cordeliere	1st		n/a	22	building
Cornelie	1st		n/a	22	building
Favorite	1st		n/a	22	building
Artemise	1st		n/a	26
Bayonnaise	1st		n/a	22
Capricieuse	1st		n/a	22
Constantine	1st		n/a	22
Embuscade	1st		n/a	22
Eurydice	1st		n/a	22
Galathee	1st		n/a	22
Serieuse	1st		n/a	22
Thisbe	1st		n/a	22
Bergere	2nd		n/a	12
Brillante	2nd		n/a	16
Danaide	2nd		n/a	16
Prevoyante	2nd		n/a	12
Sarcelle	2nd		n/a	12
Triomphante	2nd		n/a	16

Capricieuse was probably typical of a first class sailing corvette. She was 43m90 long and 11m80 beam with mean draft 4m90. She was probably armed with 20 30-pr short guns and 2 30-pr shell guns and had a crew of 254. The 1st class corvettes were between 10 and 20 years old, the 2nd class even older.

Sailing Brigs

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Chevert	1st		n/a	12	building
Euryale	1st		n/a	12	building
Adonis	1st		n/a	12
Alcibiade	1st		n/a	12
Beaumanoir	1st		n/a	12
Chasseur	1st		n/a	12
Ducouedic	1st		n/a	12
Entreprenant	1st		n/a	12
Faune	1st		n/a	12
Genie	1st		n/a	14
Hussard	1st		n/a	12
Janus	1st		n/a	12
Lapeyrouse	1st		n/a	12
Meleagre	1st		n/a	12
Mercure	1st		n/a	12
Nisus	1st		n/a	12
Obligado	1st		n/a	12
Olivier	1st		n/a	12
Oreste	1st		n/a	12
Palinure	1st		n/a	2M
Pylade	1st		n/a	12
Victor	1st		n/a	12
Zebre	1st		n/a	12
Agile	2nd		n/a	8
Argus	2nd		n/a	8
Cerf	2nd		n/a	8
Dupetit-Thouars	2nd		n/a	8
Inconstant	2nd		n/a	8
Leger	2nd		n/a	8
Lynx	2nd		n/a	8
Messager	2nd		n/a	8
Railleur	2nd		n/a	8
Rossignol	2nd		n/a	8
Ruse	2nd		n/a	8
Zephyr	2nd		n/a	8

The oldest unreconstructed brig was Argus, launched in 1832, the majority had been launched in the late 1840s or reconstructed since then.

Sailing gun brigs

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Alouette			n/a	4
Eglantine			n/a	4
Malouine			n/a	4
Panthere			n/a	4
Tactique			n/a	4
Vigie			n/a	4

All these ships were launched or reconstructed in the middle of the 1840s.

Sailing schooners, cutters and small craft

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Amaranthe			n/a	6
Baucis			n/a	6
Decidee			n/a	6
Egle			n/a	4
Fauvette			n/a	2
Gentille			n/a	2
Hirondelle			n/a
Hydrographe			n/a	2	bought
Ibis			n/a	2
Ile d’Aix			n/a	2
Ile d’Enet			n/a	2
Ile Madame			n/a	2
Jonquille			n/a	2
Jouvencelle			n/a	4
Kamehameha			n/a	2	ex-Hawaiian
Laborieuse			n/a
Mouche			n/a	4
Nu Hiva			n/a	2	bought
Papeiti			n/a	2	bought
Pourvoyeuse			n/a
Sakalave			n/a
Tane-Manou			n/a	2	bought
Topaze			n/a	2
Turquoise			n/a	2
Vigilante			n/a
Capelan			n/a
Ecureuil No. 1			n/a	2
Ecureuil No. 2			n/a	2
Espiegle			n/a	2
Favori			n/a	4
Levrier			n/a	2
Mirmidon			n/a	2
Moustique			n/a	2
Pluvier			n/a	2
Boberach			n/a	2	xebec
Blavet			n/a	2	chasse-maree

Sailing mortar vessels

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Bombe			n/a	2M
Fournaise			n/a	2M
Tocsin			n/a	2M
Torche			n/a	2M
Trombe			n/a	2M

All built for the Crimean War.

Sailing transports

Ship	Rate	Tons	NHP	Guns	Notes
Armide	800		n/a	2	hospital ship
Caravane	800		n/a	4
Egerie	800		n/a	4
Fortune	800		n/a	4
Infernal	800		n/a	6
Oise	800		n/a	2
Prosperine	800		n/a	2
Marsouin	600		n/a	2
Perdrix	600		n/a	2
Provencale	600		n/a	4
Chandernagore	550		n/a	2
Girafe	550	n/a	2
Cormoran	500		n/a	2
Orione	420		n/a	2	ex-Russian
Expeditive	380		n/a	2
Infatigable	380		n/a	4
Recherche	380		n/a	2
Herault	370		n/a	2
Bucephale		n/a	2	ex-Russian
Cyclops	300		n/a	2
Licorne	300		n/a	4
Mayottais	300		n/a		bought
Pintade	200		n/a
Pourvoyeur	150		n/a
D’Zaoudzi	60		n/a		bought
Ile d’Oleron	50		n/a

Rate is again tons of cargo. These were generally old ships.

Busk’s summary gives the following numbers. Presumably the 55 schooners, etc, include the 8 screw gun vessels. The transports include 20 steam ships ordered but not yet begun.

Ships of the line	51, 14 sail and 37 steam
114-130 guns	1 sail and 6 steam
90 guns	3 sail and 20 steam
82-70 guns	10 sail and 11 steam
Frigates	97, 40 sail and 57 steam
58-34 guns 19 steam	40 sail and 38 steam
armoured	4 steam
paddle, 20-8 guns	19 steam
Corvettes 26-4 guns	38, 18 sail and 20 steam
Brigs and Avisos	102, 35 sail and 67 steam
Schooners, cutters, etc.	55, 47 sail
Screw gun vessels	8
Floating batteries	5
Transports	73, 26 sail and 47 steam
Screw gun boats	20

This comes to 449 ships, 180 sail and 265 steam, mounting 8,422 guns with an aggregate nominal horse power of 77,820. Of these, something between one quarter and one third were in commission for sea or harbour service at the start of 1859.

This then was the French Navy circa 1859. If there are any obvious errors, or things which don’t make any sense, please don’t hesitate to ask or to let me know and I’ll pass your comments and questions on to Angus.