NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Descartes			A C de la Loire, St-Nazaire	8/1892	27.9.1894	7/1896	disarmed 1917, stricken 5.1920
Pascal			Arsenal de Toulon	12/1893	26.9.1895	1897	stricken 1911

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	3960
Displacement full, t
Length, m	96.3 pp 99.0 oa
Breadth, m	13.0
Draught, m	6.50 max
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 VTE, 16 Belleville boilers
Power, h. p.	8500
Max speed, kts	19.5
Fuel, t	coal 543
Endurance, nm(kts)	5500(10)
Armour, mm	steel; deck: 45 with 60mm slopes, shields: 50, CT: 70
Armament	Descartes: 4 x 1 - 165/45 M1891, 10 x 1 - 100/45 M1891, 8 x 1 - 47/40 M1885, 4 x 1 - 37/20 M1885, 2 - 450 TT (aw, beam) Pascal: 4 x 1 - 165/45 M1891, 10 x 1 - 100/45 M1891, 14 x 1 - 47/40 M1885, 8 x 1 - 37/20 M1885, 2 - 450 TT (aw, beam)
Complement	Descartes: 383 Pascal: 401

Project history

Two-funnelled cruisers with plough bows and tumblehome. They were wood-sheathed and coppered. The 165mm guns were in midships sponsons on the upper deck, while of the 100mm two were abreast forward and aft on the forecastle deck and four forward and two aft on the upper deck, the sides being recessed for axial fire. Descartes was reported as attaining 21.8kts on trials, but both had to be ballasted to improve stability and in Descartes, at least, the magazines were excessively hot.

Ship protection

The 100mm guns had 50mm shields with 70mm on the CT, and the armour deck was 45mm total on the flat amidships with 60mm slopes. There was a cellular layer above the armour deck and a light debris deck below over the machinery spaces.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

Descartes collided with Spanish s/s Telesfora and British s/s Strathmore during WWI. In 1917 she was laid up to reserve and disarmed.