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FS Armide (1870)

FS Armide (1870) History

Amide is one of six powerful Alma-class ironclads of the French Navy, joining sister ships Alma (leader), Atalante, Joan of Arc, Montalme , Reina Blanche and Thetis. All are designed around a "central battery" approach, where all primary weapons are concentrated in a central battery around the hull.

As ironclads, these ships were mostly made of wood with wrought iron plating as armor. This type of ship gained popularity in the mid to late 19th century before being replaced by real steel hulled ships, leading to the First World War (1914-1918).

The Armide was developed for deep sea service to patrol distant French colonial bases, as larger French naval ships were too expensive to maintain at such distances and too expensive to build - the most expensive It is good to use when providing services near the home country. She saw her keel laid at Rochefort in western France in 1865, was launched on April 24, 1867, and officially commissioned on July 20, 1870.

When completed, the Amed had a displacement of 3,600 long tons, a barrel length of 226 feet, a beam of 46 feet, and a draft of 21 feet. Her protected hull had a downward taper at the bow for impact (still a tried and true strategy at the time), while her bow and stern were tapered when viewed from above , forcing her to taper mid-port and starboard cambers - giving her a wide deck area. There are two funnels along the deck, just forward amidships, that can accommodate several boats, plus a few more hanging from the sides.

Armor protection includes 5.9" wrought iron on the belt, 4.7" on each turret, 4" on each turret, and 4.7" on the bulkhead. The crew consists of 316 employees.

Armide's propulsion revolved around a hybrid arrangement of steam engines and sailing plans. Their machine consisted of a horizontal three-cylinder compound steam engine driving a single shaft.

Her voyage plan called for barge rigging on three main masts and a jib (the foremost angled mast above the bow). Under ideal conditions, the top speed is 10 knots, and due to the layout of the sails, the range becomes essentially infinite - although the speed is greatly reduced without motor assistance.

The officially listed Armide has a maximum range of 1,460 nautical miles. Her class is known for her relatively good turning radius, being able to do it from less than 360 yards.

As an iron central turret, Ahmed's main armament is located at the center of the design and is exposed along the surface deck in a circular turret location. Overall, the ship is armed with 6 x 7.6 in (194 mm) Mle 1864 series guns and 4 x 4.7 in (120 mm) guns. The main guns are distributed on the upper deck and the gun deck. Smaller 4-inch guns were left in exposed positions on the upper deck, two on each side of the ship and one in each corner.

Of course, any personal weapons carried by the crew can be used while boarding.

Almost immediately after commissioning in July 1870, Ahmed was sent to the English Channel to the North Sea, before turning to Baltic waters to establish a naval blockade against Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The war stemmed from an effort to unite the German states with the North German Confederation and the French leader Napoleon III. (nephew of the famous general Napoleon I) declared war on Prussia based on a perceived insult. One of his assignments was the Battle of Sedan (September 1870), which saw the capture of Napoleon III.

On September 4, 1870, the Prussian army helped develop the Second French Empire into the Third Republic. At the same time, the war left France weak, resulting in the German Empire and its newfound industrial power. Germany also acquired the territory of Alsace-Lorraine from France. The outcome of the Franco-Prussian War laid the groundwork for the First World War and provided the necessary hatred between the two countries for the bloody carnage to come.

Armide was recalled to Cherbourg, France, from the Baltic waters on 16 September and decommissioned on 1 November 1870.

Due to necessity, the ship was recommissioned on 12 January 1871, her first command justifying another naval blockade of Prussian resources, this time the Prussian cruiser Arcona docked in Lisbon, Portugal. Armide remained in Arcona's containment until the conflict ended in May 1871. Since then, she has served in Mediterranean waters and conducted another blockade along the southeastern part of the country during the riots in Cartagena, Spain, until 1873, when she was decommissioned a second time on 28 October.

At this point she lost some of her weapons, reducing her power to just six guns. The French Navy used Armide until 1886, at which point she was relegated to the target of firing trials, and was eventually disbanded in 1887, ending her tenure at sea.

In French (and English), "armide" means "witch".