French cruiser Duquesne (1876)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Duquesne.
Detail of an oil painting of the Duquesne, a hybrid ship with an iron hull and two funnels from its seam plant, but also three masts. The sails are furled, but the rigging is considerable. The hull is grey and darker at the waterline. There is a row of gunports. The funnels are red and the French tricolor flies from both the bow and stern. The water is dark and a dark cloud silhouettes the ship.
Painting of Duquesne
History
France
NameDuquesne
BuilderArsenal de Rochefort
Laid down18 June 1873
Launched11 March 1876
Commissioned20 January 1878
Stricken4 December 1901
FateSold for scrap, 2 March 1908
General characteristics
Class and typeDuquesne class
Displacement5,824 t (5,732 long tons; 6,420 short tons)
Length99.64 m (326 ft 11 in)
Beam15.56 m (51 ft 1 in)
Draft7.14 m (23 ft 5 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Sail planFull ship rig
Speed16.85 knots (31.21 km/h; 19.39 mph)
Range6,680 nautical miles (12,370 km; 7,690 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement551
Armament

Duquesne was an unprotected cruiser built for the French Navy in the 1870s, the lead ship of the Duquesne class. 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 limited use; she had one major overseas deployment in the mid-1880s, during which time she cruised in the Pacific Ocean. She operated with the Atlantic Division in 1894 and 1895, but saw no further service. She was struck from the naval register in 1901 and was sold for scrap in 1908.