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French Armoured Cruisers, 1887–1932 Kindle Edition

by John Jordan (Author), Philippe Caresse (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 79 ratings
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“Offers a fascinating look at the French Navy during the years leading up to World War I . . . an excellent addition to any naval library.” —Naval Historical Foundation

Of all the threats faced by the Royal Navy during the first years of the twentieth century, the one which stood out was the risk to Britain’s sea lines of communication posed by France’s armoured cruisers. Fast, well-armed and well-protected, these ships could have evaded any attempted blockade of the French ports and, supported by a worldwide network of overseas bases, could potentially have caused havoc on the trade routes. Between 1898 and 1901 the French laid down thirteen ships, and completed nine in 1903–4 alone.

This book has as its subject the French armoured cruisers built from the late 1880s until shortly before the outbreak of the Great War, beginning with the revolutionary Dupuy-de-Lôme, the world’s first modern armoured cruiser, and ending with the impressive six-funnelled Edgar Quinet and Waldeck-Rousseau. The primary focus of the book is on the technical characteristics of the ships. Detailed and labelled drawings based on the official plans are provided by John Jordan, and each individual class of ship is illustrated by photographs from the extensive personal collection of Philippe Caresse. The technical section is followed by a history in two parts, covering the Great War (1914–18) and the postwar years, during which the surviving ships saw extensive deployment as “station” cruisers overseas and as training ships. This is the most comprehensive account published in English or in French, and is destined be the standard reference for many years to come.

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.” —War History Online
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  1. Print length
    273 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
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  4. Publisher
    Seaforth Publishing
  5. Publication date
    December 19, 2019
  6. File size
    121344 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent study of some of the most powerful warships of their time." --History of War

"The illustrative value of this volume is as important. The sectional drawings are particularly valuable in showing how these ships were laid out, with domains given to speed and offensive armament, and as the book makes clear, the Dreadnought deployment made these ships a dubious prospect for inclusion in the main battle line. The detail in the plan drawings is indeed impressive and gives us an idea of the internal layout of these cruisers." --Warship International

"This work is illustrated by John Jordan's excellent drawings and by superb photographs from the Caresse collection, all clearly laid out by Stephen Dent.... Jordan and Caresse have given us a comprehensive work of reference, covering all manner of interesting topics, about these fascinating ships." --Warship

"Jordan and Caresse have produced a wonderful companion to their earlier work on French battleships and as such, it certainly deserves a place on the bookshelf of any who acquired this first volume of their fruitful partnership. More generally, French Armored Cruisers provides an important insight to one of the major influences on the thinking as to how to conduct maritime war in the closing decades of the nineteenth century into the early years of the twentieth…. Recommended to all interested in the naval history of this era." --The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord

"John Jordan and Philippe Caresse present the story of these fascinating ships in exceptional detail. Scores of technical drawings, adapted from original Marine Nationale files, cover practically all aspects of the individual ships from engineering spaces to frame cross sections, turret details and command and control spaces. Both the drawings and the photographs are superb. There is also coverage of fleet organization and training. Rounding out this work is a full description of the armored cruisers' deployments and operations in World War I. This is a splendid book for naval construction enthusiasts, ship modelers, and historians of the period." --Nautical Research Journal

"The quality of the archive photography is as wonderful as always and the technical stuff is presented clearly for novice and expert alike.... Above all this book emphasises the importance of the cutting-edge design work carried out in France to lead the way with the armoured cruiser concept. The ships themselves bear a gallic individuality we can only admire from afar. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." --War History Online

"The book offers a fascinating look at the French Navy during the years leading up to World War I. The French Navy is normally no more than a footnote in the naval story of World War. Yet, within the pages of this book, one comes to understand how the French Navy served as an integral part of the grand strategy that defeated the Central Powers. The book is well-written and the photos and illustrations of the armoured cruisers are all sharp and clear. It is an excellent addition to any naval library." --Naval Historical Foundation

"An excellent reference work." --Warships: International Fleet Review

About the Author

JOHN JORDAN is the editor of the Warship annual and a lifelong student of French naval history. He is the coauthor of French Battleships, French Cruisers, and French Destroyers.



PHILIPPE CARESSE, the collaborator on this book, is a leading authority on late-nineteenth-century French warships. He is the author of the forthcoming Battleships of the Iowa Class.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09GPYQGH5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Seaforth Publishing (December 19, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 19, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 121344 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

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John Jordan

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
79 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

QT
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Highly recommended
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book and an excellent companion to the book French Battleships of World War One by the same authors. Both books are highly recommended. This books has excellent detail photos, line drawings, plans and section veiws of various ships including details of the turrets and QF guns and ship technical data. Book begins with an excellent photo and introduction.
Chapter 1 covers Dupuy-De-Lome and Amiral Charner class.
Chapter 2 covers Pothuau and D'Entrecasteaux
Chapter 3 covers Jeanne d'Arc
Chapter 4 covers station cruisers of Dupleix class - my personal favorite
Chapter 5 covers Fleet Cruisers of the Gueydon class
Chapter 6 covers Fleet Cruisers of the Gloire class
Chapter 7 covers the Leon Gambetta class
Chapter 8 covers the Jules Michelet and Ernest Renan
Chapter 9 covers the Edgar Quinet and Waldeck-Rousseau
Chapter 10 covers French Naval organization
Chapter 11 covers World War One years
Chapter 12 covers the post war years

All photos, drawings and tables are excellent. The text, from what I've read, is excellent. This is the first book of its type that I have seen so I cannot comment on completeness or correctness. It looks great to me is all I can tell you and covers a subject too long ignored. Some operational history is included in the text. Highly recommended and well worth the money.
2 people found this helpful
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JGR
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Wait
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019
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I preordered this book around four months ago and received it yesterday. Obviously, this is a topic that I am interested in and an author that I trust. So far I paged through it from beginning to end plus I read some sections. This is not a book to read in a day as it is very rich in technical details and superb drawings. If you liked the previous books by the author, you will love this. If your looking for a light read or a book that concentrates on naval operations, this is not for you. It is so nice to get a book on the design of a group of ships that have not been a popular subject previously. As a note, I only paid about $30 for this book and it was a very good deal at that price.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2022
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The book is on a seldom covered subject, Armored cruisers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Fans of that period will love it. Superior photographs and many detailed drawings with excellent narative. SuperortoFriedmanns US Crusiers
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Daryl Carpenter
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but falls somewhat short compared to the rest of the series
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2019
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I've always had an interest in pre-Dreadnought-era warships, so when I heard the new John Jordan opus would focus on armored cruisers (a somewhat nebulously defined type, but whatever), my curiosity was definitely piqued. The four volumes John Jordan has co-authored on French warships (Battleships of World War One, Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers 1922-1956) have all been excellent so far, presenting exceptionally detailed overviews of vessels that aren't terribly well known outside of France. This new book follows essentially the same established format, and while it delivers for the most part, it does fall a little short in places.

Starting with the 'Dupuy-de-Lome' and the 'Amiral Charner' class, and ending with the 'Edgar Quinet' and 'Waldeck-Rousseau', the first nine chapters covers a single class each, each averaging about 20 pages long. Chapter 10 describes the organization of the cruiser fleets prior to World War One, while Chapters 11 and 12 describe the ships' wartime service and eventual fate. Each class chapter starts with an overview of the design and development of the class, moving on to descriptions of the hull and superstructure, the armament, armor protection, machinery, construction, and service careers prior to World War One. Each chapter also includes short biographies of the historical figures the ships were named after and a brief evaluation of the type in service.

Once again, this is a very "busy" book in terms of visual presentation and the amount of information provided. A large number of the author's diagrams are included, ranging from exterior plans and profiles, to transverse hull sections, machinery arrangements, armor layouts, cross-sections of different types of boilers, to plan and sectional views of turrets and gun mountings. Most of the photographs are surprisingly good considering their age, and numerous data tables are spread throughout.

While this is undoubtedly the most detailed English-language book on the subject, it's not quite as in-depth as the other books in the series. The individual class descriptions no longer have any information on boats, ground tackle, or steering gear. Jean Blade unfortunately passed away in 2016, so none of his paintings are included. Some of the photographs are spread across two pages, with the occasional funnel or mast falling into the gutter. Finally, there's not really much in the way of any analysis, positive or negative, of any of the designs. We're told that all four ships lost during the war were sunk by underwater explosions. This would suggest that their watertight subdivision was insufficient, however, we're never told one way or the other.

Don't get me wrong, this is still an excellent reference book. While the age and relative obscurity of these ships might account for some of the gaps in coverage, I can't help but feel there were some missed opportunities here. I'm actually hoping that, instead of another ship reference, John Jordan's next book focuses on French naval policy and warship design and construction. It was a frequently incoherent and convoluted affair, and it seems like he'd be one author who could make some sense of the subject.
5 people found this helpful
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jack greene
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2019
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The authors did excellent work, the production values are First Cabin and the writing is clear and concise. I had to double-check one fundamental point about the Jeune École and it is covered in this book. I would like to see a companion book that looked deeper into this topic - French armored cruisers gained endurance at 10 knots so they could be better raiders (hence the smaller Main Armament guns IMO). This book is a keeper.
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Devin Poore
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough history, great photos and drawings
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021
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A beautifully done book: great drawings and photos, and the history is very thorough. A great reference for a historian or model maker.
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Michael Dunham
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Effort
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2019
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An outstanding treat for lovers of this era's warship design and construction. quality photos throughout, some amazing detail sketches, and all supported by a detailed, explanatory text. I highly recommend this book for the Enthusiast!
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allen hoilman
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019
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A comprehensive look at a rather arcane subject. I wish like were available for every such topic.
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Top reviews from other countries

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O. Ishenko
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in Germany on June 28, 2020
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Very pleased with this book. In it I found a detailed account on the development of the French armoured cruiser classes from Dupuy de Lome to Waldeck Rousseau accompanied by as many quality photos and plans. Books by John Jordan never disappoint so I've just ordered the French Battleships of World War One and I am sure it will be just as great as this one.
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Mr L.
5.0 out of 5 stars livre sur la Royale
Reviewed in France on October 12, 2019
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ecrit par des anglais un gage de bons renseignements
super
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Ralph Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book. Well illustrated plus extensive detail. Dry narrative but the best of Mr Jordans books.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
The French poured huge resources into their armoured cruisers, which were expected to undermine British battlefleet superiority by attacking her trade routes as well as being able to support their own battlefleet. The Navy also acquired dedicated ‘station’ cruisers’ designed to meet requirements overseas, though these were often heavily criticised for inadequate fire power and protection (viz, Dupleix class).

In this book, most of the criticisms of the companion battleship book have been corrected. Most particularly, it is not ‘of World War One’ and gives equal coverage to the earlier ships that had long been obsolete before 1914, each class having about twenty pages coverage. The war and after occupy 35 pages, which is reasonable in a work of 270 pages. Dupuy du Lome was the first really ‘modern’ armoured cruiser and provides the logical starting point for the book. For each class, hull, armament, protection, machinery and service record are covered in turn. In this book there is more about machinery, than in Jordan and Caresse’s earlier book, which is of particular interest given the many boiler variations and layout peculiarities of French ships. The narrative style is very factual and rather dry - but I suppose the entertaining anecdotal content found in Oscar Parks and Ballards near contemporary books are not to be expected in 2019.

There is a large amount of detail, showing extensive use of the ‘Conseil des Travaux’ and other bureau records. Unfortunately only metric measurements are given in the text: true, these are correct for French ships, but I would at least expect accessible conversion charts, the few conversions given on page 9 being quite inadequate. I can cope with straightforward centimetres and kilos, but such details as a boiler pressure of ‘17kg/cm2’ means nothing to most anglo saxons. Consequently, direct comparison with the published measurements of contemporary British cruisers becomes rather difficult

There are some unexpected revelations, such as the original plan to include a sailing rig for the ‘Amiral Charner’ class! The armament detail gives reasonable coverage of mountings, magazines and supply arrangements, these often being problematical on French ships, especially the earlier ones which were much too small for their ambitious specifications. My ‘metric’ complaint above notwithstanding, the data tabulations do help make sense of the various quick firing gun types. When dealing with protection there are tabulations for some ships that detail the weights allocated to the various belts, turrets, hoists, conning towers, etc. This shows how complex the competition for armour allocation on ships of modest size could be. At the end of each ship section comes an ‘evaluation’. These could be longer and more detailed but nevertheless we learn interesting facts. For example, the very first of these ships, Dupuy de Lome, proved to be very poor in almost every way when in service, but the technical ideas she introduced proved hugely influential and were developed in France and abroad on larger and better designed cruisers. There are a few comparisons with contemporary British, and some German ships, the best being between the last french design, Edgar Quinet, and Minotaur/Scharnhorst, but I would have liked a much greater focus on this subject.

There are numerous superb line drawings, especially cross sections revealing internal layout at various points along the hull. There are also excellent drawings showing turret working and ammunition supply - those of Dupleix and Jules Michelet being especially fine. The one weakness is the small size and lack of annotation on the full length profile and plan drawings. The authors have avoided passing drawings across the binding, which is in general a good thing, but larger hull drawings could have been provided by turning them through 90 degrees (landscape format). The photographs are outstanding, some of these pass across two pages but the superb detail they reveal excuses this (see Edgar Quinet, pages 204- 5). The paper quality is doubtless the best economics would allow, though it is not ideal for the very best photo reproduction.

All considered this is a really excellent book and purchased for around £25 it is truly outstanding value for money. Once again enthusiasts should thank both the authors and Seaforth Publishing for supporting a rather specialist interest in this way.
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Christoph Nieder
5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr gutes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on February 6, 2020
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Gutes informatives Buch über ein Thema, über das es (noch) nicht all zu viel zu lesen gibt. Die vielen Fotos geben einen guten Überblick über das Aussehen der beschriebenen Schiffe. Schade, das es solche Bücher nicht in Deutscher Sprache gibt.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Ecellent continuation of a fascinating series on the design of French warships
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020
Verified Purchase
Beautifully presented and full of interesting and unique information. Drawings are clear and the selection of photographs is very good. Technical descriptions are well organised and draw on primary sources, which is commendable. Assessment of fighting quality is always open to interpretation, as it integrates many aspects and needs to account for intangibles such as experience and crew training. Overall, highly recommended.
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