French ironclad Provence

A scale model of sister ship Flandre
History
France
NameProvence
NamesakeProvence
Ordered16 November 1860
BuilderArsenal de Toulon
Laid downMarch 1861
Launched29 October 1863
CompletedMarch 1864
Commissioned1 February 1865
Stricken3 May 1886
FateSold for scrap, 10 November 1893
General characteristics (as built)
TypeProvence-class ironclad frigate
Displacement5,810 t (5,720 long tons)
Length82.9 m (272 ft) (o/a)
Beam17.06 m (56 ft)
Draft8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) (deep load)
Installed power
Propulsion1 shaft, 1 horizontal-return connecting rod-steam engine
Sail planBarque-rig
Speed14.34 knots (26.56 km/h; 16.50 mph) (trials)
Range2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement579–594
Armament
Armor

The French ironclad Provence was the lead ship of her class of 10 armored frigates built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) during the 1860s. Commissioned in 1865, she spent the bulk of her career with the Mediterranean Squadron (Escadre de la Méditerranée), often serving as a flagship. The ironclad played a minor role in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, blockading the North Sea coast of Prussia. Provence was decommissioned after the war, but was reactivated in late 1875.

She was assigned to the Eastern Mediterranean in early 1879 and became flagship of the Levant Naval Division (Division navale du Levant) later that year. The ship was condemned in 1886 and became a target ship until she was sold for scrap in 1893.