French cruiser Lalande

A ship with three tall masts and two smoke stacks lies anchored in shallow water offshore
Lalande early in her career, c. 1890–1892
History
France
NameLalande
Ordered21 March 1887
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Gironde
Laid down6 May 1887
Launched21 March 1889
Commissioned1 November 1889
Decommissioned15 April 1911
Stricken15 April 1911
FateBroken up, 1912
General characteristics
Class and typeTroude-class protected cruiser
Displacement1,877 t (1,847 long tons; 2,069 short tons)
Length95 m (311 ft 8 in) (lwl)
Beam9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Draft4.27 m (14 ft)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Range2,110 nmi (3,910 km; 2,430 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement200
Armament
ArmorDeck: 40 mm (1.6 in)

Lalande was a protected cruiser of the Troude class built for the French Navy in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The class was built as part of a construction program intended to provide scouts for the main battle fleet. They were based on the preceding Forbin class, the primary improvement being the addition of armor to the conning tower. Lalande was built in the 1880s and was completed in late 1890. She was armed with a main battery of four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns, protected with an armor deck that was 41 mm (1.6 in) thick, and had a top speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph).

Lalande served with the Mediterranean Squadron for the first several years of her career, before being reduced to the Reserve Squadron in 1896 and again to the 2nd category of reserve. She temporarily returned to the Mediterranean Squadron in 1898 before once again being placed in reserve later that year, where she remained through 1905. The following year, she joined the Northern Squadron before transferring back to the Mediterranean for 1907 and 1908. She saw little use thereafter and was struck from the naval register in 1912, subsequently being sold to ship breakers for scrap.