&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:French_cruiser_Tourville_NH_74839.jpg) Tourville probably in the mid-1880s
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| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Tourville |
| Builder | Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée |
| Laid down | 23 February 1874 |
| Launched | 24 February 1876 |
| Commissioned | 17 August 1876 |
| Stricken | 4 December 1901 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 20 November 1903 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Duquesne class |
| Displacement | 5,824 t (5,732 long tons; 6,420 short tons) |
| Length | 99.64 m (326 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 15.56 m (51 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Sail plan | Full ship rig |
| Speed | 16.9 knots (31.3 km/h; 19.4 mph) |
| Range | 7,570 nautical miles (14,020 km; 8,710 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 551 |
| Armament |
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Tourville was an unprotected cruiser of the Duquesne class built for the French Navy in the 1870s. She was ordered in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, and was intended for use against commerce raiders, which necessitated a high top speed, heavy armament, and long cruising radius. The ship's engines proved to be very unreliable, and coupled with the high cost of operating the vessel, she proved to be a disappointment in service. As a result, she saw just four years of active service during her more than twenty-five years of existence. She took part in the French conquest of Tunisia in 1881 and was sent to East Asia in 1883, but saw no action during the Tonkin campaign, being recalled early the next year, to be replaced by more capable cruisers that were cheaper to operate. She saw no further service and was struck from the naval register in 1901 and was sold for scrap in 1903.