French ironclad Colbert

The Colbert-class ships were designed by Constructor Sabattier as improved versions of the ironclad . As a central battery ironclad, Colbert had her armament concentrated amidships. The ship measured overall, with a beam of . Colbert had a maximum draft of and displaced . She carried a maximum of All of the ship's guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells. The 274-millimeter Modèle 1870 gun was credited with the ability to penetrate a maximum of of wrought iron armor while the 240-millmeter Modèle 1870 gun could penetrate of armor. At some point the ship received fourteen to eighteen Hotchkiss 5-barrel revolving guns. Armor The Colbert-class ships had a complete wrought iron waterline belt that was thick amidships and tapered to at the stern. It was backed by of wood. The sides of the battery itself were armored with of wrought iron, backed by of wood, and the ends of the battery were closed by transverse armored bulkheads thick, backed by of wood. The barbettes were unarmored, but the deck was thick. ==Service==

Colbert was named in honor of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Controller-General of Finances from 1665 to 1683 under King Louis XIV. She was laid down at Brest on 4 July 1870 and launched on 16 September 1875. While the exact reason for such prolonged construction time is not known, it is believed that reduction of the French Navy's budget after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and out-of-date work practices in French dockyards were likely causes. The ship began her sea trials on 23 May 1877, but became flagship of the Reserve Squadron on 31 August 1878. On 1 October 1879 she became the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron; which post she would hold until 14 January 1890 when she was placed in reserve. Colbert bombarded the Tunisian port of Sfax on 15–16 July 1881 as the French occupied Tunisia. In May 1887, Colbert took part in exercises to practice convoy escort; the French Army kept significant forces in French North Africa, and these units would have to be transported back to Europe in the event of a major conflict. The ship was assigned to escort a convoy of four simulated troop ships, along with the ironclads , , and . A squadron of cruisers and torpedo boats was tasked with intercepting the convoy. The convoy used bad weather to make the passage, as heavy seas kept the torpedo boats from going to sea. She became flagship of the Reserve Squadron again on 12 April 1892 until she was disarmed and paid off in 1895. She was condemned on 11 August 1900, before being sold for scrap in 1909. ==Notes==