View source for Edgar Quinet-class cruiser

{{Short description|French armoured cruiser class}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=December 2022}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Armoured cruiser Edgar-Quinet.png
|Ship caption=''Edgar Quinet'' in 1913
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Edgar Quinet'' class
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|France}}
|Class before={{ship|French cruiser|Ernest Renan||2}}
|Class after=None
|Built range=1905–1911
|In service range=1911–1932
|Total ships completed=2
|Total ships lost=1
|Total ships retired=1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Armored cruiser]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|13847|to|13995|LT|t|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|158.9|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|21.51|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|8.41|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=40 [[Belleville boiler]]s, {{convert|36000|ihp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=3 [[Triple expansion steam engine|triple expansion engines]], 3 shafts
|Ship speed= {{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|10000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship crew=859–892
|Ship armament=*14 × [[Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1902 gun|{{convert|194|mm|abbr=on}} guns]]
*20 × [[Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891|{{convert|65|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] guns
*2 × {{convert|450|mm|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*[[belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|150|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|200|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Casemate]]s: {{convert|194|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: 200&nbsp;mm
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Edgar Quinet'' class''' was the last type of [[armored cruiser]] built for the [[French Navy]]. The two ships of this class—{{ship|French cruiser|Edgar Quinet||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Waldeck-Rousseau||2}}—were built between 1905 and 1911. They were based on the previous cruiser, {{ship|French cruiser|Ernest Renan||2}}, the primary improvement being a more powerful uniform main battery of {{convert|194|mm|abbr=on}} guns. The ''Edgar Quinet'' class was the most powerful type of armored cruiser built in France, but they entered service more than two years after the British [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Invincible|1907|6}}, which, with its [[dreadnought|all-big-gun armament]], had rendered armored cruisers obsolescent.

Both ships operated together in the Mediterranean Fleet after entering service, and they remained in the fleet throughout [[World War I]]. They participated in the blockade of the Adriatic to keep the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] contained early in the war. During this period, ''Edgar Quinet'' took part in the [[Battle of Antivari]] in August 1914, and ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' was unsuccessfully attacked twice by Austro-Hungarian [[U-boat]]s. ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' participated in the [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War]] in the [[Black Sea]] in 1919–22, while ''Edgar Quinet'' remained in the Mediterranean during the contemporaneous [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)|Greco-Turkish War]].

''Edgar Quinet'' was converted into a [[training ship]] in the mid-1920s before running aground off the Algerian coast in January 1930. She could not be pulled free and sank five days later. ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' served as the flagship of the Far East fleet from 1929 to 1932 and was decommissioned after returning to France. She was [[hulk (ship)|hulked]] in 1936 and scrapped in 1941–44.

== Development ==
[[File:Edgar Quinet class cruiser plan and profile.jpg|thumb|left|Plan and profile drawing of the ''Edgar Quinet'' class]]

In the 1890s, naval theorists of the ''[[Jeune École]]'' (Young School) in France, particularly Admiral [[Ernest François Fournier]], advocated building a fleet of armored cruisers based on the first French ship of that type, {{ship|French cruiser|Dupuy de Lôme||2}}. The ships were to be capable of long-range commerce raiding, action in the [[line of battle]] against older battleships, and reconnaissance for the main fleet.{{sfn|Ropp|p=296}} The French Navy subsequently built a series of twenty-four armored cruisers after ''Dupuy de Lôme'', culminating in the two ''Edgar-Quinet''-class ships that were ordered under the 1904 and 1905 construction programs.{{sfn|Gardiner|pp=303–307}}{{sfn|Dodson|p=103}}

The design for these last two ships was based heavily on their predecessor, {{ship|French cruiser|Ernest Renan||2}}, though they incorporated several improvements. The most significant was the adoption of a uniform primary gun battery; ''Ernest Renan'' carried a mix of two [[Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1902 gun|{{cvt|194|mm}}]] and twelve [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|{{cvt|165|mm|adj=on|1|sp=us}}]] guns, but the ''Edgar Quinet'' dispensed with the smaller guns in favor of fourteen 194&nbsp;mm weapons. Their armor layout was also modified and the adopted the same vertical [[stem (ship)|stem]] that characterized the latest French [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s.{{sfn|Dodson|p=103}}

Like ''Ernest Renan'', the design for the ''Edgar Quinet'' class was repeatedly reworked during construction, which produced very lengthy construction times. The ''Edgar Quinet''s were the most powerful armored cruisers built by France, but they entered service two years after the British {{sclass|Invincible|battlecruiser}}s, and the British ships' [[dreadnought|all-big-gun armament]] and [[steam turbine]] propulsion rendered all armored cruisers obsolescent. Compared to the British vessels, the ''Edgar Quinet''s retained less effective [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s, though they were the last major warship to use them.{{sfn|Dodson|p=103}}{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{sfn|Osborne|p=82}}

== Description ==

=== General characteristics and machinery ===
The ships of the ''Edgar Quinet'' class were {{cvt|157|m|ftin}} [[long at the waterline]] and {{cvt|158.9|m|ftin}} [[length overall|long overall]]. They had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|21.51|m|ftin}} and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{cvt|8.41|m|ftin}}. ''Edgar Quinet'' [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|13847|LT|t|lk=on}}, while ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' was slightly heavier, at {{cvt|13995|LT|t}}.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{sfn|Dodson|p=196}} The hulls were constructed with [[mild steel]] and were fitted with [[bilge keel]]s to improve stability.{{sfn|"Cruiser Edgar Quinet"|p=333}} The ships had a [[military mast|military foremast]] with a [[fighting top]] and a pole [[mainmast]]. The [[forecastle]] deck extended for most of the ship, as far as the main mast. They had a crew of 23&nbsp;officers and 818&nbsp;enlisted men, and while serving as a divisional [[flagship]], the ships' crew increased by 9&nbsp;officers and 72&nbsp;enlisted men of the admiral's staff.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{sfn|Dodson|pp=196–197}}

Their power plant consisted of three 4-cylinder [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s that each drove a [[screw propeller]]. Steam was provided by forty coal-fired [[Belleville boiler|Belleville type]] [[water-tube boiler]]s in ''Edgar Quinet'' and forty-two [[Niclausse boiler]]s in ''Waldeck-Rousseau''. The boilers were trunked into six [[funnel (ship)|funnels]] in two groups of three. The engines were rated at {{convert|36000|ihp|lk=in}} and produced a top speed of {{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{sfn|"Cruiser Edgar Quinet"|p=334}} The engines were divided into individual [[watertight compartment]]s, while the boilers were grouped in pairs in watertight compartments. Maximum coal capacity amounted to {{convert|2300|LT|abbr=on}}, which permitted a cruising range of {{convert|10000|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}. Electrical power was supplied by six [[electric generator]]s.{{sfn|Dodson|p=196}}{{sfn|Peltier|p=236}}

=== Armament and armor ===
[[File:French cruiser Edgar Quinet.jpg|thumb|Illustration of ''Edgar Quinet'']]

The ''Edgar Quinet''-class ships were armed with a main battery of fourteen {{convert|194|mm|abbr=on}} 50-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] M1902 guns; four were in twin [[gun turret]]s forward and aft, with three single gun turrets on either [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]. The turret mountings allowed for loading at any angle of elevation,{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}} and were electrically operated. The forward turrets had a range of train of about 280&nbsp;degrees.{{sfn|Peltier|p=235}} The last four guns were mounted in [[casemate]]s abreast the main and aft [[conning tower]]s, on the upper and main decks, respectively. The 194&nbsp;mm gun had a rate of fire of up to four rounds per minute.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}} The ships' ammunition [[Magazine (artillery)|magazines]] were equipped with refrigeration, which was standardized in French warships following the accidental destruction of the battleship {{ship|French battleship|Iéna||2}} by an overheated propellant magazine in 1907.{{sfn|Peltier|p=236}} Close-range defense against torpedo boats was provided by a battery of twenty [[Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891|{{convert|65|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] 9-[[Caliber#Pounds as a measure of cannon bore|pounder]] guns in casemates in the ship's hull. In 1918, twelve of the ships' 65&nbsp;mm guns were removed and a pair of 65&nbsp;mm [[anti-aircraft gun]]s (AA) and a pair of {{convert|75|mm|abbr=on|0}} AA guns were installed. ''Edgar Quinet'' and ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' were also equipped with two {{convert|450|mm|abbr=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s submerged in the hull.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{sfn|Silverstone|p=82}}

The ships were protected with an [[belt armor|armored belt]] that was {{convert|150|mm|abbr=on}} thick [[amidships]] and reduced to {{convert|70|mm|abbr=on}} forward and {{convert|40|mm|abbr=on}} aft. They had two armored decks; the lower, main deck was 65&nbsp;mm thick and the upper deck was {{convert|30|mm|abbr=on}}. The gun turrets had {{convert|200|mm|abbr=on}} thick plating, with 200&nbsp;mm thick [[barbette]]s, while the casemates had marginally thinner protection, at 194&nbsp;mm. The two pairs of casemates were linked by transverse armored [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]]; the outer bulkhead was 194&nbsp;mm thick while the inner bulkhead was {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} thick. The main conning tower had 200&nbsp;mm thick sides.{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}{{efn|The armor layout is somewhat unclear; in ''Directory of the World's Capital Ships'', Silverstone provides different figures, including a thicker, {{convert|170|mm|abbr=on}} armored belt and thinner protection for the gun turrets and casemates, at {{convert|150|mm|abbr=on}} and {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}}, respectively. Additionally, Peltier's contemporary (1908) description offers a third set of figures.{{sfn|Silverstone|p=82}}{{sfn|Peltier|p=235}}}} Underwater protection consisted of a [[Cofferdam#Naval architecture|cofferdam]] built into the lower hull with a longitudinal watertight bulkhead behind it.{{sfn|Peltier|p=235}}

== Ships ==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
!scope="col"|Name
!scope="col"|Builder{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}
!scope="col"|Laid down{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}
!scope="col"|Launched{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}!!Commissioned{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}}
!scope="row"|Fate
|-
|scope="row"|{{ship|French cruiser|Edgar Quinet||2}}
|[[Brest, France|Brest]]
| November 1905
| 21 September 1907{{sfn|Peltier|p=235}}
| January 1911
| Wrecked, 4 January 1930
|-
|scope="row"|{{ship|French cruiser|Waldeck-Rousseau||2}}
|[[Arsenal de Lorient]]
| 16 June 1906<ref>"French Warship Construction", p. 817</ref>
| 4 March 1908
| August 1911
| [[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1941–1943
|}

== Service history ==
[[File:Waldeck-Rousseau-h78349.jpg|thumb|''Waldeck-Rousseau'' off [[Constantinople]] in 1922]]

After entering service in early and mid-1911, respectively, ''Edgar Quinet'' and ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' were assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet.{{sfn|Brassey|p=56}} In 1913, ''Edgar Quinet'' participated in an international naval demonstration that also included British, German, and Austro-Hungarian vessels off Albania. The demonstration was a protest of the [[Siege of Scutari (1912–13)|siege of Scutari]] during the [[First Balkan War]]; it succeeded in forcing the Serbian army to withdraw and allowing an international force to occupy the city.{{sfn|Vego|pp=151–152}}

Both ''Edgar Quinet'' and ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' saw service in the Mediterranean during [[World War I]]. ''Edgar Quinet'' joined the hunt for the German battlecruiser {{SMS|Goeben}} in August 1914, and both ships participated in the blockade of the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] in the Adriatic.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=193}} Later in August, ''Edgar Quinet'' was present at the [[Battle of Antivari]], which saw the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian cruiser {{SMS|Zenta}}.{{sfn|Corbett|pp=85–86}} While on patrol at the mouth of the Adriatic, ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' was attacked twice by Austro-Hungarian [[U-boat]]s, though neither submarine was able to hit the cruiser. During the first action in October, several Austro-Hungarian [[destroyer]]s briefly skirmished with ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' after the U-boat attacked her.{{sfn|Milan|pp=44–49, 87–89}} Both cruisers were involved in the seizure of [[Corfu]] in January 1916.{{sfn|Lauzanne|pp=121–122}}

After the end of the war, both ships continued service in the eastern Mediterranean and [[Black Sea]]s. ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' joined the [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War]] and operated in support of the [[White movement|White Russians]] against the Red [[Bolshevik]]s; shortly after arriving, her crew mutinied over poor conditions but quickly resumed their duties.{{sfn|Bell & Elleman|p=97}} ''Edgar Quinet'' meanwhile remained in the Mediterranean during the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)|Greco-Turkish War]], and during the [[Great Fire of Smyrna]], at the climax of the conflict, she rescued 1,200 people from the city.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=193}}

''Edgar Quinet'' was converted into a training ship in the mid-1920s, a role she filled for the remainder of the decade. On 4 January 1930, she ran aground off the Algerian coast and could not be freed.{{sfn|Jordan & Moulin|p=167}} She sank five days later.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=193}} ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' had meanwhile been assigned as the [[flagship]] of the Far East fleet in 1929, where she remained until 1932, when she returned to France.{{sfn|Jordan & Moulin|p=212}} She was decommissioned upon arrival, [[hulk (ship)|hulked]] in 1936,{{sfn|Gardiner|p=307}} and broken up for scrap in 1941–1944.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=192}}

== Footnotes ==
===Notes===
{{notelist
| notes =
}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|20em}}

== References ==
* {{cite book
  |last1=Bell
  |first1=Christopher M.
  |last2=Elleman
  |first2=Bruce A.
  |title=Naval Mutinies of the Twentieth Century
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  |publisher=Frank Cass
  |location=Portland
  |isbn=0-7146-5460-4
  |name-list-style=amp
  |url-access=registration
  |url=https://archive.org/details/navalmutiniesoft00cbel
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  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last=Brassey
  |first=Thomas A.
  |title=Chapter III: Comparative Strength
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |year=1911
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  |oclc=5973345
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  }}
* {{cite book 
  |last=Corbett
  |first=Julian Stafford
  |author-link=Julian Corbett
  |title=Naval Operations: To The Battle of the Falklands, December 1914
  | url = https://archive.org/details/navaloperations04corb
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  }}
* {{cite journal
  |title=Cruiser Edgar Quinet
  |journal=Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers
  |year=1911
  |volume=XXIII
  |location=Washington, D.C.
  |publisher=R. Beresford
  |pages=333–334
  |ref={{SfnRef|"Cruiser Edgar Quinet"}}
  }}
*{{cite journal |last1=Dai|first1=Wei|title=A Discussion on French Armored Cruiser Identification: From the ''Gueydon'' Class to the ''Edgar Quinet'' Class |journal=Warship International |date=September 2020 |volume=LVII |issue=3 |pages=199–221 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book
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  |first=Aidan
  |title=Before the Battlecruiser: The Big Cruiser in the World's Navies, 1865–1910
  |year=2018
  |location=Barnsley
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  }}
* {{cite journal|title=French Warship Construction|journal=Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers|volume=XX|issue=3|year=1909|location=Washington D.C.|publisher=R. Beresford|pages=816–823|issn=0099-7056|doi=10.1111/j.1559-3584.1908.tb02154.x}}
* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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  |editor2-last=Gray
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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  }}
* {{cite book
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* {{cite journal
  |last=Peltier
  |first=J. G.
  |title=The French Armored Cruiser Edgar Quinet
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
  |last=Silverstone
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  }}
* {{Cite book
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  |title=Austro-Hungarian Naval Policy, 1904–14
  |year=1996
  |publisher=Taylor & Francis
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  |isbn=9780714642093
  |ref={{SfnRef|Vego}}
  }}

{{Edgar Quinet class cruisers}}
{{WWI French ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar Quinet class cruiser}}
[[Category:Edgar Quinet-class cruisers| ]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the French Navy]]