View source for Linois-class cruiser

{{Short description|Protected cruiser class of the French Navy}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=December 2022}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:Galilee2-Bougault.jpg
|Ship image size=
|Ship caption={{ship|French cruiser|Galilée||2}} at anchor sometime before 1909
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Linois'' class
|Builders=
*[[Arsenal de Rochefort]]
*[[Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée]]
|Operators={{navy|France}}
|Class before={{sclass|Friant|cruiser|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Descartes|cruiser|4}}
|Built range=1892–1898
|In commission range=1895–1920
|Total ships completed=3
|Total ships retired=3
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(data for {{ship|French cruiser|Linois|1894|2}})
|Ship type=[[Protected cruiser]]
|Ship displacement={{cvt|2285|to|2318|LT|t|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{cvt|98|m|ftin}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{cvt|10.62|m|ftin}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|5.44|m|ftin}}
|Ship power=
*6 × [[fire-tube boiler]]s
*{{cvt|6800|ihp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
*2 × [[screw propeller]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|20.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=250–269
|Ship armament=
*4 × [[Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893 naval gun|{{cvt|138.6|mm|adj=on|1|sp=us}}]] guns
*2 × [[Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891|{{cvt|100|mm}} guns]]
*8 × [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{cvt|47|mm}} guns]]
*2 × [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|{{cvt|37|mm}} guns]]
*4 × 37&nbsp;mm [[Hotchkiss revolver cannon]]
*4 × {{cvt|450|mm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=
*[[deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|40|mm}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{cvt|138|mm|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Linois'' class''' comprised three [[protected cruiser]]s of the [[French Navy]] built in the early 1890s; the three ships were {{ship|French cruiser|Linois|1894|2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Galilée||2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Lavoisier||2}}. They were ordered as part of a naval construction program directed at France's rivals, Italy and Germany, particularly after Italy made progress in modernizing its own fleet. The plan was also intended to remedy a deficiency in [[cruiser]]s that had been revealed during training exercises in the 1880s. As such, the ''Linois''-class cruisers were intended to operate as fleet scouts and in the [[French colonial empire]]. The ships were armed with a [[main battery]] of four {{cvt|138.6|mm}} guns supported by two {{cvt|100|mm}} guns and they had a top speed of {{convert|20.5|kn|lk=in}}.

All three members of the class served with the [[Mediterranean Squadron (France)|Mediterranean Squadron]] upon entering service in the mid-to-late 1890s. During this period, they were primarily occupied with peacetime training maneuvers. ''Lavoisier'' was transferred to the Newfoundland and Iceland Naval Division in 1903, where she patrolled fisheries for the next decade. After uneventful careers, ''Linois'' and ''Galilée'' were discarded in 1910 and 1911, respectively, having spent less than fifteen years in service. ''Lavoisier'' was the only member of the class still in [[ship commissioning|commission]] at the start of [[World War I]] in August 1914, and she was used to patrol for German warships and [[submarine]]s in various secondary theaters, ending the war in the Syrian Naval Division, where she remained through the end of the war. She was ultimately struck from the [[naval register]] in 1920 and thereafter [[ship breaking|broken up]].

==Design==
[[File:French cruiser Coëtlogon NH 66064.jpg|thumb|left|The earlier cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Coëtlogon||2}} of the {{sclass|Forbin|cruiser|4}}, which provided the basis for the ''Linois'' design]]

In the late 1880s, the Italian {{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}} (Royal Navy) accelerated construction of ships for its fleet and reorganized the most modern [[ironclad warship|ironclad battleships]]—the {{sclass|Duilio|ironclad|5}} and {{sclass|Italia|ironclad|4}}es—into a fast squadron suitable for offensive operations. These developments provoked a strong response in the French press. The Budget Committee in the French [[Chamber of Deputies (France)|Chamber of Deputies]] began to press for a "two-power standard" in 1888, which would see the French fleet enlarged to equal the combined Italian and German fleets, then France's two main rivals on the continent. This initially came to nothing, as the supporters of the {{lang|fr|[[Jeune École]]}} doctrine called for a fleet largely based on [[squadron (naval)|squadrons]] of [[torpedo boat]]s to defend the French coasts rather than an expensive fleet of ironclads. This view had significant support in the Chamber of Deputies.{{sfn|Ropp|p=195}}

The next year, a war scare with Italy led to further outcry to strengthen the fleet. To compound matters, the visit of a German squadron of four ironclads to Italy confirmed French concerns of a combined Italo-German fleet that would dramatically outnumber their own. Training exercises held in France that year demonstrated that the slower French fleet would be unable to prevent the faster Italian squadron from bombarding the French coast at will, in part because it lacked enough cruisers (and doctrine to use them) to scout for the enemy ships.{{sfn|Ropp|pp=195–197}}

To correct the weaknesses of the French fleet, on 22 November 1890, the [[Conseil supérieur de la Marine|Superior Council]] authorized a new construction program directed not at simple parity with the Italian and German fleets, but numerical superiority. In addition to twenty-four new battleships, a total of seventy [[cruiser]]s were to be built for use in home waters and overseas in the [[French colonial empire]]. The ''Linois'' class were ordered as part of the program,{{sfn|Ropp|pp=195–197}}{{sfn|Campbell|pp=310–311}} and their design was based on the earlier {{sclass|Forbin|cruiser|4}}, albeit with increased [[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]].{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Dorn & Drake|p=49}}

===General characteristics and machinery===
[[File:French cruiser Linois at anchor.jpg|thumb|left|''Linois'' early in her career, before 1898]]

The ships of the ''Linois'' class varied slightly in dimensions; {{ship|French cruiser|Linois|1894|2}} was {{cvt|98|m|ftin}} [[length overall|long overall]], while {{ship|French cruiser|Lavoisier||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Galilée||2}} were {{cvt|100.63|m|ftin}} long. ''Linois'' and ''Lavoisier'' had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|10.62|m|ftin}}, while ''Galilée'' was slightly wider, at {{cvt|10.97|m|ft|0}}. All three ships had a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{cvt|5.44|m|ftin}}. They [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{cvt|2285|to|2318|LT|t|lk=on}}. Like most French warships of the period, the ''Linois''-class cruisers' [[hull (watercraft)|hulls]] had a pronounced [[naval ram|ram bow]] and [[tumblehome]] shape. They also had a short [[forecastle]] [[deck (ship)|deck]], and the hulls included a [[double bottom]]. The ships had a minimal [[superstructure]], with a small [[conning tower]] and a [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] forward and a smaller, secondary bridge aft. They were fitted with pole masts with [[spotting top]]s for observation and signaling purposes. Their crew varied over the course of their careers, amounting to 250–269&nbsp;officers and enlisted men.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Dorn & Drake|p=50}}

The ships' propulsion system consisted of a pair of vertical [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s driving two [[screw propeller]]s. Steam was provided by six coal-burning [[fire-tube boiler]]s for ''Linois'', while the other two vessels received sixteen coal-fired, [[Belleville boiler|Belleville-type]] [[water-tube boiler]]s. All of the ships' [[fire room|boiler rooms]] were ducted into two [[funnel (ship)|funnels]]. Their machinery was rated to produce {{convert|6800|ihp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|20.5|kn|lk=in}}. Coal storage amounted to {{cvt|400|LT}} for ''Linois'' and {{cvt|339|LT}} for ''Lavoisier'' and ''Galilée''.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}} They had a cruising radius of {{convert|3000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} and {{cvt|600|nmi}} at 20.5&nbsp;knots.{{sfn|France|p=33}}

===Armament and armor===
[[File:French cruiser Linois plan and profile.jpg|thumb|Plan and profile drawing of the ''Linois'' class]]

The ships were armed with a [[main battery]] of four [[Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893 naval gun|{{cvt|138.6|mm|adj=on|1|sp=us}}]] 45-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns in individual [[pivot mount]]s with [[gun shield]]s, all in [[sponson]]s located [[amidships]] with two guns per [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]].{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}} These were probably the M1893 variant installed without [[trunnion]]s. They fired a variety of shells, including solid, {{cvt|30|kg}} [[cast iron]] projectiles, and {{cvt|35|kg}} explosive [[armor-piercing shell|armor-piercing]] (AP) and semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells with a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|730|to|770|m/s}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=224}} The forward pair were placed just abaft the conning tower and the after pair were between the aft funnel and the main mast. The main battery was supported by a [[secondary armament|secondary battery]] that consisted of a pair of [[Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891|{{cvt|100|mm}} Modèle 1891 guns]], one at the [[bow (ship)|bow]] and the other at the [[stern]], which were also fitted with shields.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}} The guns fired {{cvt|14|kg}} cast iron and {{cvt|16|kg}} AP shells with a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|710|to|740|m/s}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=225}}

For close-range defense against torpedo boats, they carried eight [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{cvt|47|mm}} 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns]], [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|two {{cvt|37|mm}} guns]], and four 37&nbsp;mm [[Hotchkiss revolver cannon]]. These were carried in individual pivot mounts and they were distributed along the length of the ship to provide wide fields of fire. All three ships were also armed with four {{cvt|450|mm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s in their hull above the [[waterline]]. The [[torpedo]]es were the M1892 variant, which carried a {{cvt|75|kg}} [[warhead]] and had a range of {{cvt|800|m}} at a speed of {{convert|27.5|kn}}.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}{{sfn|Friedman|p=345}} ''Linois'' and ''Galilée'' had provisions to carry up to 120&nbsp;[[naval mine]]s.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}

Armor protection consisted of a curved armor deck that was {{cvt|40|mm}} thick. Above the deck at the sides, a [[cofferdam]] filled with [[cellulose]] was intended to contain flooding from damage below the waterline. Below the main deck, a thin splinter deck covered the propulsion machinery spaces to protect them from shell fragments. Their forward conning towers had {{cvt|138|mm|0}} thick plating on the sides. The gun shields for the main battery were {{cvt|75|mm|0}} thick, while the secondary guns received {{cvt|50|mm|0}} thick shields.{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}

==Construction==
[[File:French cruiser Linois.jpg|thumb|''Linois'' early in her career]]

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | [[keel laying|Laid down]]{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}
! scope="col" | [[ship launching|Launched]]{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}}
! scope="col" | Completed{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}
! scope="col" | Shipyard{{sfn|Campbell|p=310}}
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|French cruiser|Linois|1894|2}}
| August 1892
| 30 January 1894
| 1895
| {{lang|fr|[[Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée]]}}, [[La Seyne-sur-Mer]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|French cruiser|Galilée||2}}
| 1893
| 28 April 1896
| September 1897{{sfn|''Service Performed''|p=299}}
| {{lang|fr|[[Arsenal de Rochefort]]}}, [[Rochefort, Nouvelle-Aquitaine|Rochefort]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|French cruiser|Lavoisier||2}}
| January 1895
| April 1897
| April 1898
| {{lang|fr|Arsenal de Rochefort}}, Rochefort
|}

==Service history==
[[File:Lavoisier Marius Bar.jpg|thumb|Postcard depicting ''Lavoisier'' underway]]

''Linois'' was assigned to the [[Mediterranean Squadron (France)|Mediterranean Squadron]] in 1896,{{sfn|Thursfield|pp=164–167}} where she was joined by ''Galilée'' and ''Lavoisier'' in 1898. The three ships served as part of the cruiser force of the main French battle fleet. They took part in training exercises during this period, which sometimes included joint maneuvers with the Northern Squadron, along with shooting practice and [[naval review]]s.{{sfn|Brassey 1899|p=71}}{{sfn|Leyland|p=64}}{{sfn|Meirat|p=21}} ''Linois'' was involved in a [[show of force]] meant to intimidate the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1902 during a period of tension with France.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse|pp=218–219}} ''Lavoisier'' was transferred to the Newfoundland and Iceland Naval Division in 1903, where she patrolled fishing grounds off the coast of [[Newfoundland]].{{sfn|Meirat|pp=21–22}} ''Linois'' remained in service with the Mediterranean Squadron through 1905.{{sfn|Brassey 1905|p=42}} During a review in 1909, ''Galilée'' hosted President [[Armand Fallières]] and Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia]] during the latter's visit to France.{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse|p=232}} ''Linois'' was struck from the [[naval register]] in 1910, thereafter being [[ship breaking|broken up]] for [[scrap]]. ''Galilée'' was discarded the following year.{{sfn|Smigielski|p=193}}
 
''Lavoisier'' was attached to the 2nd Light Squadron in the [[English Channel]] at the start of [[World War I]] in August 1914, but she saw no action there. She was transferred to the eastern Mediterranean in December 1915, operated briefly with the main French fleet, and then conducted anti-[[submarine]] patrols in the western Mediterranean. In 1917, she returned to the Moroccan Naval Division, and the following year, she was reassigned to the Syrian Naval Division, where she remained through the end of the war. In April 1919, ''Lavoisier'' was detached from the Syrian Division; decommissioned for the last time in August, she was struck from the naval register in early 1920 and sold to ship breakers.{{sfn|Meirat|pp=22–23}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Linois class cruisers}}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Brassey
  |first=Thomas A.
  |author-link=Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  |title=Chapter III: Relative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1899
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=70–80
  |oclc=496786828
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4pNIAQAAMAAJ
  |ref={{sfnRef|Brassey 1899}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Brassey
  |first=Thomas A.
  |title=Chapter III: Comparative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1905
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=40–57
  |oclc=496786828
  |ref={{sfnRef|Brassey 1905}}
  }}
* {{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 journal
  |last1=Dorn
  |first1=E. J.
  |last2=Drake
  |first2=J. C.
  | title = Notes on Ships and Torpedo Boats
  | date=July 1894
  | journal = Notes on the Year's Naval Progress
  | volume = XIII
  | pages = 3–78
  | publisher = United States Office of Naval Intelligence
  | location = Washington, D.C.
  | oclc = 727366607
  |name-list-style=amp
  | ref={{sfnref|Dorn & Drake}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  | title = France
  | date=July 1896
  | journal = Notes on the Year's Naval Progress
  | volume = XV
  | pages = 27–41
  | publisher = United States Office of Naval Intelligence
  | location = Washington, D.C.
  | oclc = 727366607
  | ref={{sfnref|France}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | authorlink=Norman Friedman
  | year = 2011
  | title = Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-84832-100-7
  | ref ={{sfnRef|Friedman}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last1=Jordan
  |first1=John
  |last2=Caresse
  |first2=Philippe
  |title=French Battleships of World War One
  |date=2017
  |publisher=Naval Institute Press
  |location=Annapolis
  |isbn=978-1-59114-639-1
  |name-list-style=amp
  |ref={{sfnRef|Jordan & Caresse}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Leyland
  |first=John
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas A.
  |title=Chapter III: Comparative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1900
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=63–70
  |oclc=496786828
  |ref={{sfnRef|Leyland}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Meirat
  |first=Jean
  |year=1975
  |title=Details and Operational History of the Third-Class Cruiser Lavoisier
  |journal=F. P. D. S. Newsletter
  |publisher=F. P. D. S.
  |location=Akron
  |volume=III
  |issue=3
  |pages=20–23
  |oclc=41554533
  |ref={{sfnref|Meirat}}
  }}
* {{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
  | first = Theodore
  |authorlink=Theodore Ropp
  | 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 = Service Performed by French Vessels Fitted with Belleville Boilers
  |date=July 1901
  | journal = Notes on Naval Progress
  | volume = 20
  | page = 299
  | publisher = United States Office of Naval Intelligence
  | location = Washington, D.C.
  | oclc = 699264868
  | ref = {{sfnRef|''Service Performed''}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Smigielski
  |first=Adam
  |chapter=France
  |pages=190–220
  |editor1-last=Gardiner
  |editor1-first=Robert
  |editor2-last=Gray
  |editor2-first=Randal
  |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  |year=1985
  |location=Annapolis
  |publisher=Naval Institute Press
  |isbn=978-0-87021-907-8
  |name-list-style=amp
  | url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_z3o0
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Smigielski}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Thursfield
  |first=J. R.
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas A.
  |title=Naval Maneouvres in 1896
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1897
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |pages=140–188
  |oclc=496786828
  |ref={{sfnRef|Thursfield}}
  }}

{{Linois-class cruiser}}
{{French protected cruisers}}
{{WWI French ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linois class cruiser}}
[[Category:Linois-class cruisers| ]]
[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the French Navy]]