French battleship Mirabeau (1909)


The Diderot, sistership of the Mirabeau
Career (France)
Namesake: Mirabeau
Builder: Lorient
Laid down: 4 May 1908
Launched: 28 October 1909
Commissioned: 1 August 1911
General characteristics
Class and type: Danton-class battleship
Displacement: 18,318 tonnes standard, 19763 tonnes full load
Length: 144.9 m
Beam: 25.8 m
Draught: 9.2 m
Propulsion: 4 shaft Parsons turbines, 26 Bellville or Niclausse coal fired boilers, 22,500 hp
Speed: 19.2 knots
Complement: up to 923
Armament:

4 × 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 guns in twin mounts
12 × 240mm/50 Modèle 1902 guns in twin mounts
16 × 75mm/65 Modèle 1906 guns in single mounts
10 × 47 mm guns (single)

2 × 450 mm Torpedo tubes (M12D until 1920, M18 after)
Armour:

270 mm Belt
48 mm upper deck
45 mm lower deck
300 mm main turrets

200 mm secondary turrets

The Mirabeau was a battleship of the French Navy which served during World War I. She belonged to the Danton-class of batteleships, among the last of the pre-dreadnought vessels.[1] The Mirabeau was first commissioned in 1911, and served until she was badly damaged in the Black Sea in 1919. After returning to France, the ship was decommissioned in 1921.

Contents

Design

Although the Danton class battleships were "a major step forward" from the preceding Liberté class, especially with the 3,000-ton displacement increase, they were outclassed by the advent of the dreadnought well before they were completed. This, combined with other poor traits, including the great weight in coal they had to carry, made them rather unsuccessful ships, though their rapid-firing guns were of some use in the Mediterranean.[2]

Service history

After commissioning, the Mirabeau left to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign. She survived without damage, and stayed with the remaining Danton class and Liberte class battleships at Mudros to protect Allied troops until the end of the war.[3] While she was participating in the intervention against the Russian Civil War, she ran aground and had to be decommissioned. She served as a target ship until 1928.[4]

References

  1. ^ Miller, David (2001); Illustrated Directory of Warships from 1860 to the Present; Salamander, Osceola, WI. ISBN 0-7603-1127-7. See p.90.
  2. ^ Gardiner, R. and Gray, R. (1984); Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1921; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD; ISBN 0-87021-907-3. See p. 196.
  3. ^ http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyFrench.htm
  4. ^ http://www.cityofart.net/bship/danton.html

External links

Condorcet · Danton · Diderot · Mirabeau · Vergniaud · Voltaire