French cruiser Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta underway | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| France | |
| Name | Léon Gambetta |
| Namesake | Léon Gambetta |
| Ordered | 2 July 1900 |
| Builder | Arsenal de Brest |
| Cost | 29,248,500FF |
| Laid down | 15 January 1901 |
| Launched | 26 October 1902 |
| Commissioned | 21 July 1905 |
| Fate | Sunk 27 April 1915 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Léon Gambetta-class armoured cruiser |
| Displacement | 12,550 t (12,352 long tons) |
| Length | 148.35 m (486 ft 9 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 21.4 m (70 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 8.18 m (26 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 3 shafts; 3 triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range | 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 734; 779 as a flagship |
| Armament |
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| Armor |
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Léon Gambetta was the lead ship of her class of three armored cruisers built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) in the first decade of the 20th century. Armed with four 194-millimeter (7.6 in) guns, the ships were much larger and more powerfully armed than their predecessors. Completed in 1905, she was initially assigned to the Northern Squadron (Escadre du Nord) where she served as a flagship. The ship was transferred to the Mediterranean Squadron (Escadre de la Méditerranée) in 1910 and remained there for the rest of her career.
During World War I, Léon Gambetta escorted convoys as well as the capital ships of the French fleet. She participated in the blockade of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic Sea. The ship was sunk by the Austro-Hungarian U-boat U-5 in April 1915 with heavy loss of life.