 Sfax early in her career as originally configured
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Tage |
| History | |
 France | |
| Name | Sfax |
| Namesake | Bombardment of Sfax during the French conquest of Tunisia |
| Builder | Arsenal de Brest |
| Laid down | 26 July 1882 |
| Launched | 26 May 1884 |
| Commissioned | 17 January 1887 |
| Decommissioned | 13 August 1905 |
| Stricken | 1906 |
| Fate | Broken up, 1910 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 4,888 t (4,811 long tons) |
| Length | 96.08 m (315 ft 3 in) loa |
| Beam | 15 m (49 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 6.77 m (22 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Sail plan | Barque rig |
| Speed | 16.71 knots (30.95 km/h; 19.23 mph) |
| Range | 4,200 nmi (7,800 km; 4,800 mi) at 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
| Complement | 470 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
Sfax was a protected cruiser built for the French Navy in the 1880s. She was the first vessel of the type to be built for the French Navy, which was a development from earlier unprotected cruisers like Milan. Unlike the earlier vessels, Sfax carried an armor deck that covered her propulsion machinery and ammunition magazines. Intended to be used as a commerce raider in the event of war with Great Britain, Sfax was rigged as a barque to supplement her engines on long voyages abroad. She was armed with a main battery of six 164 mm (6.5 in) guns and a variety of lighter weapons.
Sfax had a relatively uneventful career. She spent most of her career alternating between the Mediterranean, Northern, and Reserve Squadrons. During this period, she was primarily occupied with conducting training exercises; while in the Reserve Squadron, she was kept in commission for only part of the year. She briefly served on the North American station in 1899, but by 1901, had been reduced to reserve. She was struck from the naval register in 1906 and subsequently broken up.