French cruiser Lapérouse

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Lapérouse.

Lapérouse

History
France
Name	Lapérouse
Namesake	Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse
Builder	Brest shipyard
Laid down	23 June 1875
Launched	5 November 1877
Homeport	Brest
Fate	Wrecked 31 July 1898
General characteristics
Class and type	Lapérouse-class cruiser
Tonnage	2,240 tonnes
Length	80 m (260 ft)
Beam	11.40 m (37.4 ft)
Draught	5.50 m (18.0 ft)
Installed power	2,300 shp (1,700 kW)
Propulsion	steam engine Sail
Sail plan	full-rigged
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Crew	264
Armament	15 140mm / 5.5 inch M1870M guns, 2 Hotchkiss quick-firing guns, eight 1-pounder revolving cannons

Lapérouse was a cruiser of the French Navy, lead ship of her class, named after Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse.

Design

Lapérouse was built at Brest, France. She was laid down in 1875 and launched in 1877. Her main armament was mounted in barbettes.

The unarmoured cruisers of the Lapérouse class were wooden-hulled ships with iron beams. These ships had plough bows with a forecastle, a displacement of 2,363 tons, a speed of 15 knots and had a complement of 264 sailors. Armament was fifteen 5.5-inch (140 mm) M1870M guns later replaced in Primauget with Quick Firing Conversions. Each ship also had eight 1-pounder revolving cannons.

Career

Lapérouse was part of the Far East Squadron under Admiral Amédée Courbet. On 31 July 1898, she was anchored in Fort-Dauphin's Bay at Anosy, Madagascar, waiting for coal for a voyage in which she was to provide transport for the Governor of Madagascar, General Joseph Gallieni, when a storm hit. A sudden gust of wind broke her two anchor chains, and she drifted toward the coast, ran aground, and was wrecked. All hands were saved.

Sources and references

• French navy construction drawings of the ship "LAPEROUSE, Naval construction plans".