French ironclad Trident

The Colbert-class ships were designed by Constructor Sabattier as improved versions of the ironclad . As a central battery ironclad, Trident had her armament concentrated amidships. The ship measured overall, with a beam of . Trident had a maximum draft of and displaced . Propulsion Trident had a single Wolf three-cylinder horizontal return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove one propeller. The engine was powered by eight oval boilers and was designed for a capacity of . 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 wrought iron armor while the 240-millmeter Modèle 1870 gun could penetrate of wrought iron 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==

Trident, named after the weapon that symbolized mastery of the seas, was laid down in April 1870 in Toulon and launched on 9 November 1876. The ship was completed on 1 November 1878 She was disarmed and placed in reserve in 1886–89, but was recommissioned on 17 February 1889 and resumed her role as flagship until she was again placed in reserve in 1894. The ship served as a gunnery training ship until she was condemned on 5 March 1900. Trident was renamed Var in 1904 and was sold for scrap five years later. ==Footnotes==