View source for French cruiser Lapérouse

{{Short description|French naval vessel (1877–1898)}}
{{Other ships|French ship Lapérouse}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=''Lapérouse''}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=French cruiser Lapérousse (1898).jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=''Lapérouse'' in port, date unknown
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=France
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|France|naval}}
|Ship name=''Lapérouse''
|Ship namesake=[[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse]]
|Ship builder=[[Arsenal de Brest]]
|Ship laid down=23 June 1875
|Ship launched=5 November 1877
|Ship commissioned=6 October 1879
|Ship fate=Wrecked, 31 July 1898
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Lapérouse|cruiser|1}}
|Ship displacement={{cvt|2320|t|LT|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{cvt|79.5|m|ftin}} [[long at the waterline|lwl]]
|Ship beam={{cvt|11.4|m|ftin}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|5.3|m|ftin}}
|Ship propulsion=
*1 × [[compound steam engine]]
*1 × [[screw propeller]]
|Ship power=
*6 × [[fire-tube boiler]]s
*{{cvt|2160|ihp|lk=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Full ship rig]]
|Ship speed={{convert|15|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{cvt|4980|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=264
|Ship armament=
*15 × {{cvt|138.6|mm}} guns
*2 × {{cvt|37|mm}} [[Hotchkiss gun|Hotchkiss revolver cannon]]
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Lapérouse''''' was an [[unprotected cruiser]], the [[lead ship]] of [[Lapérouse-class cruiser|her class]], built for the [[French Navy]] in the 1870s. The ship was intended to serve abroad in the [[French colonial empire]], and was ordered to strengthen the fleet after the French defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]]. To allow the ship to cruise for long distances, she was fitted with a [[full ship rig]] to supplement her [[marine steam engine|steam engine]], and she carried a [[main battery]] of fifteen {{cvt|138.6|mm}} guns. Her top speed under steam was {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}}. 

''Lapérouse'' was sent to [[East Asia]] in late 1884, arriving there in January 1885 during the [[Sino-French War]]. She participated in the [[blockade]] of [[Formosa]] and operations off the [[Yangtze]] river on mainland China. She remained in the [[Far East Squadron]] after the war ended later that year, but in 1886 she was moved to the Indian Ocean. In the early 1890s, she took part in training exercises with the main fleet in French waters. She was sent abroad again in 1896, returning to the Indian Ocean division, where she served as the division [[flagship]]. While in [[Madagascar]] in 1898, ''Lapérouse'' was driven ashore by a storm after her anchor chains were severed by a submerged wreck. Deemed a total loss, she was sold for scrap in 1901.

== Design ==
{{main|Lapérouse-class cruiser}}
[[File:Plan and profile sketch of the Lapérouse class.jpg|thumb|left|Plan and profile sketch of the {{sclass|Lapérouse|cruiser|4}}]]

The four ships of the {{sclass|Lapérouse|cruiser|4}} were ordered under the auspices of the naval plan of 1872, which was laid out to modernize the [[French Navy]] in the aftermath of the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870–1871. The navy sought new [[unprotected cruiser]]s that carried a heavier armament than earlier vessels, while maintaining a similar size to keep costs from increasing during a period of limited naval budgets. The design for the ships was drawn up by [[Arthur Bienaymé]] as part of a competition that also resulted in the subsequent and very similar {{sclass|Villars|cruiser|1}}s. The ''Lapérouse''-class ships were intended to serve overseas in the [[French colonial empire]].{{sfn|Roberts|pp=108, 110}}{{sfn|Ropp|pp=32–40}}

''Lapérouse'' was {{cvt|79.5|m|ftin}} [[long at the waterline]], with a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|11.4|m|ftin}} and an average [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{cvt|5.3|m|ftin}}. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{cvt|2320|t|lk=on}} as designed. The ship had a [[naval ram|ram bow]] and an overhanging [[stern]]. Her crew amounted to 264&nbsp;officers and enlisted men. The ship's propulsion system consisted of a single [[compound steam engine]] driving a [[screw propeller]]. Steam was provided by six coal-burning [[fire-tube boiler]]s that were ducted into a pair of [[funnel (ship)|funnels]] placed side-by-side. Her machinery was rated to produce {{convert|2160|ihp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}}. At a more economical speed of {{convert|10|kn}}, the ship could steam for {{convert|4980|nmi|lk=in}}. She had a [[full ship rig]] to supplement her steam engine on long voyages overseas.{{sfn|Roberts|p=110}}{{sfn|Campbell|p=318}}

The ship was armed with a [[main battery]] of fifteen {{cvt|138.6|mm}} M1870M 21.3-caliber guns. Two were placed atop the [[forecastle]] as [[chase gun]]s, one was on the stern, and the remainder were placed in an amidships battery on the upper deck, six guns per [[broadside (naval)|broadside]]. The broadside guns were in pivot mounts firing through [[embrasure]]s. A pair of {{cvt|37|mm}} [[Hotchkiss gun|Hotchkiss revolver cannon]] provided close-range defense against [[torpedo boat]]s. She also carried four {{cvt|86.5|mm}} bronze cannon that could be sent ashore with a [[landing party]] or used to arm the ship's boats.{{sfn|Roberts|p=110}}

== Service history ==

The [[keel]] for ''Lapérouse'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[Arsenal de Brest]] shipyard in [[Brest, France|Brest]] on 23 June 1875. She was [[ship launching|launched]] on 5 November 1877, and she was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] to begin [[sea trials]] on 6 October 1879. She conducted full-power tests on 22 December, where she reached a maximum speed of {{convert|15.15|kn}}, slightly exceeding her design speed. Her initial testing was completed in early March 1880, and on the 7th she was placed in the 2nd category of reserve; she was later reduced to the 3rd category on 7 August 1881. During this period, the number of 37&nbsp;mm guns was increased to eight. The ship was finally recommissioned for active service on 1 December 1884 for a deployment to [[East Asia]] to reinforce the [[Far East Squadron]].{{sfn|Roberts|p=110}}

By the time the ship had arrived in the western [[Pacific Ocean]] in January 1885,{{sfn|Loir|p=274}} France was engaged in the [[Sino-French War]] that had begun over Chinese objections to French interference in [[Tonkin]] (now Vietnam). ''Lapérouse'' joined the [[blockade]] of [[Formosa]]; the cruisers committed to the blockade included her sister {{ship|French cruiser|D'Estaing||2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Villars||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Champlain||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Rigault de Genouilly||2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Éclaireur||2}}. The ships were based at [[Tainan]], toward the southern end of the island. In March, the French commander, Admiral [[Amédée Courbet]], sent ''Lapérouse'', ''Nielly'', ''Champlain'', ''Rigault de Genouilly'', and the [[gunboat]] {{ship|French gunboat|Vipère||2}} to blockade the mouth of the [[Yangtze]] river on mainland China. The French blockade effort, which included other ports, proved to be effective at interrupting the movement of rice crops from southern China north. By this time, secret negotiations between French and Chinese representatives had already begun, as both countries were losing patience with the costly war, and in April, an agreement was reached that was formally signed on 9 June, ending the war.{{sfn|Olender|pp=84–86, 101}} After the end of the war in June, many of the French vessels were either recalled home or dispersed to other stations, but ''Lapérouse'' remained in the Far East Squadron, along with the ironclads {{ship|French ironclad|La Galissonnière||2}} (the flagship), ''Turenne'', and {{ship|French ironclad|Triomphante||2}}, the cruisers {{ship|French cruiser|Primauguet|1882|2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Roland||2}}, and ''Champlain'', and two gunboats.{{sfn|Loir|pp=354–355}} 

[[File:French cruiser Laperouse NH 74975.jpg|thumb|''Lapérouse'' at [[Algiers]] on 2 August 1886]]

In 1886, she was transferred to a [[squadron (naval)|squadron]] that operated in the [[Indian Ocean]], which also included the cruisers {{ship|French cruiser|Forfait||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Naïade||2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Limier||2}}, the gunboats {{ship|French gunboat|Pique||2}}, {{ship|French gunboat|Chacal||2}}, and {{ship|French gunboat|Capricorne||2}}, and the [[aviso]] {{ship|French aviso|Labourdonnais||2}}. The ships were supported by a pair of transport vessels.{{sfn|Brassey 1886|pp=487–489}} By 1891, ''Lapérouse'' had been [[laid up]] in [[reserve fleet|reserve]], but she was [[mobilization|mobilized]] to take part in that year's fleet exercises as part of the Reserve Division. The exercises began in June and culminated with a mock attack on the port of [[Toulon]] on 18 July. During the maneuvers, on 26 June, ''Lapérouse'' suffered a minor breakdown of her steering gear.{{sfn|Naval Manoeuvres|pp=1102–1108}} Later during the exercises, the ship lost contact with the rest of her squadron and she was captured by the other squadron.{{sfn|Thursfield|p=70}}

On 1 January 1896, ''Lapérouse'' was recommissioned at Toulon for another deployment to the Indian Ocean station, where she was to relieve her sister ''Primauguet'' as the station [[flagship]]; the latter returned to Toulon to be decommissioned.{{sfn|Naval and Military Notes|p=189}} At that time, the unit also included the cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Dupetit-Thouars|1874|2}} and four gunboats.{{sfn|Brassey 1896|p=67}} In 1897, ''Dupetit-Thouars'' was relieved by the cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Fabert||2}}, and two of the gunboats departed.{{sfn|Brassey 1897|p=62}} On 31 July 1898, ''Lapérouse'' was waiting to take on coal at [[Fort-Dauphin (Madagascar)|Fort Dauphin]] in [[French Madagascar]] when a storm drove her ashore and wrecked her. According to some reports, her anchor chains were broken after having struck a submerged wreck. At the time, she was serving as the flagship of the cruiser division there, and in addition to the commanding officer, she also had General [[Joseph Gallieni]], the governor of Madagascar, aboard. Her entire crew survived the incident, and the ship's guns were later salvaged, along with the provisions the ship had had aboard. The ship was formally struck from the [[naval register]] on 14 December, and she was eventually sold for [[scrap]] on 15 January 1901, to be [[ship breaking|broken up]].{{sfn|Roberts|p=111}}{{sfn|Naval Notes|p=1093}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|La Pérouse (ship, 1877)}}
* {{cite journal
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas
  |editor-link=Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
  |title=List of French Ships in Commission
  |journal=[[The Naval Annual]]
  |year=1886
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=486–490
  |oclc=496786828
  |ref={{sfnRef|Brassey 1886}}
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5NIAQAAMAAJ
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Brassey
  |first=Thomas A.
  |title=Chapter III: Relative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1896
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=61–71
  |oclc=496786828
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0o9IAQAAMAAJ
  |ref={{sfnRef|Brassey 1896}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Brassey
  |first=Thomas A.
  |title=Chapter III: Relative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1897
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=56–77
  |oclc=496786828
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8SsuAAAAYAAJ
  |ref={{sfnRef|Brassey 1897}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Campbell
  | first = N. J. M.
  | chapter = France
  | pages = 283–333
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | year = 1979
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-0-85177-133-5
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Campbell}}
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Loir 
  |first=M.
  |title=L'escadre de l'amiral Courbet, notes et souvenirs
  |trans-title=The Squadron of Admiral Courbet, Notes and Memories
  |language=French
  |location=Paris
  |publisher=Berger-Levrault
  |date=1886
  |oclc=457536196
  |ref={{sfnRef|Loir}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |title=Naval and Military Notes
  |journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
  |date=February 1896
  |volume=XL
  |number=216
  |location=London
  |publisher=J. J. Keliher & Co.
  |oclc=1077860366
  |pages=181–205
  |ref={{sfnref|Naval and Military Notes}}
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CxFAQAAMAAJ
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |title=Naval Notes
  |journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
  |year=1898
  |volume=XLII
  |location=London
  |publisher=J. J. Keliher & Co.
  |oclc=1077860366
  |pages=1086–1100
  |ref={{sfnref|Naval Notes}}
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CxFAQAAMAAJ
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Olender
  |first=Piotr
  |title=Sino-French Naval War 1884–1885
  |year=2012
  |location=Sandomir
  |publisher=Stratus
  |isbn=978-83-61421-53-5
  |ref={{sfnref|Olender}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Roberts
  |first=Stephen
  |title=French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914
  |year=2021
  |location=Barnsley
  |publisher=Seaforth
  |isbn=978-1-5267-4533-0
  |ref={{sfnref|Roberts}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Ropp|authorlink=Theodore Ropp
  | first = Theodore
  | title = The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871–1904
  | editor-last = Roberts
  | editor-first = Stephen S.
  | year = 1987
  | location = Annapolis
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-141-6
  |ref={{sfnRef|Ropp}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |title=The French Naval Manoeuvres of 1891
  |journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
  |date=October 1891
  |volume=XXXV
  |number=164
  |location=London
  |publisher=J. J. Keliher & Co.
  |oclc=1077860366
  |pages=1102–1108
  |ref={{sfnref|Naval Manoeuvres}}
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsJMAAAAYAAJ
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Thursfield
  |first=J. R.
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas A.
  |title=Foreign Naval Manoeuvres
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |year=1892
  |pages=61–88
  |oclc=496786828
  |ref={{sfnRef|Thursfield}}
  }}

{{Lapérouse class cruisers}}
{{1898 shipwrecks}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{coord missing|Indian Ocean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laperouse}}
[[Category:Lapérouse-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:1877 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1898]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships sunk with no fatalities]]