Léon Gambetta (1901)
The Léon Gambetta |
|
Overview | |
Type | Armored cruiser |
units | 3 |
Shipyard |
State shipyard, Brest |
Launch | October 26, 1901 |
delivery | 1903 |
Namesake | Léon Gambetta |
Whereabouts | sunk by kuk U-5 on April 27, 1915 |
Technical specifications | |
displacement |
12,550 t |
length |
146.45 m waterline, |
width |
21.41 m |
Draft |
8.05 m |
crew |
728 men |
drive |
28 Niclausse Kessel , |
speed |
22.5 kn |
Range |
6600 nm at 10 kn, 2065 t coal |
Armament |
• 4 × 193/40 mm cannons |
Armored belt |
70-150 mm |
Armored deck |
35 + 45 mm |
Towers |
200 mm |
Command tower |
200 mm |
Sister ships |
Jules Ferry , Victor Hugo |
similar |
The Léon Gambetta was an armored cruiser of the French Navy that was launched in 1901 and sunk in the Ionian Sea by an Austro-Hungarian submarine during World War I in 1915 . 684 seafarers were killed.
Building history
Launched on October 26, 1901 in the arsenal in Brest , the Léon Gambetta was the lead ship of a class of three armored cruisers of the French Navy that entered service in 1903 and 1907. It was named after the former Prime Minister of the Third Republic, Léon Gambetta (1838-1882).
At the request of the French Minister of the Navy (1902 to 1905) Camille Pelletan, the French armored cruisers were given the names of republican politicians, philosophers and historians such as Waldeck-Rousseau , Jules Michelet , Ernest Renan and Edgar Quinet . This measure was aimed at the officers of the French Navy, who were considered royalist (which was then also known as "La Royale" in French). During Pelletan's tenure, six ships of the line were named after republican values for the same reason : the République , Patrie , Démocratie , Justice , Liberté and Vérité .
The Léon Gambetta class cruisers were larger than their predecessors and had slightly greater firepower. Their main armament now consisted of four 193 mm L / 40 cannons model 1896 in the bow and stern twin turrets. In addition, there were six double towers on the sides and four single casemates at the ends with 164 mm L / 45 cannons of the 1887 model. Because of their Krupp armor , the ships of the Léon Gambetta class were considered the most powerful armored cruisers of the year when they were completed World. But they were soon surpassed by the battlecruisers of the British ( HMS Invincible , 1908 i. D. ), German ( SMS von der Tann, 1911 i. D. ) and Japanese navy.
After the Léon-Gambetta class, the French navy procured four more armored cruisers of a similar design until the Waldeck-Rousseau was completed in August 1911, of which only the two most recently built ships with fourteen 193 mm guns received at least one uniform main armament.
During a test run in December 1903, the Léon Gambetta rammed an unknown rock underwater in the fog off Brest and suffered considerable damage. The necessary repairs were not completed until the summer of 1904.
As part of the Entente cordiale , the French Navy focused on the Mediterranean. At the beginning of the war, the Léon Gambetta formed the 1st armored cruiser squadron in the Mediterranean together with its two sister ships as the 2nd “division légère” and the Jules Michelet , Ernest Renan , Edgar Quinet and Waldeck-Rousseau .
The sinking of the Léon Gambetta
The Léon Gambetta had been part of a French fleet since 1914 that blocked the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic from the Malta base , usually in a position a little south of the Strait of Otranto . In April 1915, the blockade line was moved further north while the Allies were negotiating an alliance with Italy. Considerable activity of the Austro-Hungarian Navy was expected in the event that Italy would join the war.
Despite the increased threat from Austrian and German submarines, the armored cruiser ran unattended at seven knots south of the Strait of Otranto in the Ionian Sea, 15 miles from Cape Santa Maria di Leuca , on the calm and clear night of April 27, 1915 South-east corner of Italy at the end of the Salento peninsula .
At the position 39 ° 30 ′ N , 18 ° 15 ′ E, , it was hit by two torpedoes from the Austro-Hungarian U- 5 submarine under Georg Ludwig von Trapp met. The Léon Gambetta sank in ten minutes. Of the 821 men on board, 684 died, including Rear Admiral Victor Baptist Senes , the commander of the 2nd Light Division, and all the officers of the cruiser. 137 sailors were able to save themselves.
After this sinking, the blockade line of the French cruisers was withdrawn southwards to the level of the island of Kefalonia in western Greece .
Fate of the sister ships | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surname | Shipyard | start of building | Launch | in service | further fate |
Jules Ferry | Arsenal Cherbourg | October 1901 | August 22, 1903 | September 1905 | Mediterranean, 1927 for demolition. |
Victor Hugo | Arsenal Lorient | March 1903 | March 30, 1904 | April 16, 1907 | Mediterranean, 1922/23 East Asia, 1928 for demolition. |
literature
- Roger Chesneau, Eugène M. Koleśnik, NJM Campbell: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905. Mayflower Books, New York 1979.
- John Evelyn Moore: Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. Military Press, New York 1990.
- French warship launched .; The Leon Gambetta to be One of a Hundred Fighting Vessels France Is to Build. New York Times (NYT) October 27, 1901
- Reports cruiser ashore .; Delayed Bulletin Says the Leon Gambetta Was Beached. NYT, April 29, 1915
- French warship sunk; 552 perish; Cruiser Leon Gambetta Blown Up by an Austrian Submarine in Strait of Otranto. All her officers lost. Italian Vessels Rescue 162 of Warship's 714 Men - Surprise Attack at Night. TRAGEDY SEEN FROM SHORE Submarine Believed to Have Traveled 300 Miles to Strike Vessel Guarding Adriatic Outlet. NYT, April 29, 1915
- 136 of crew saved .; But All the Officers of the Gambetta Perished at Their Posts. NYT, April 29, 1915
- Destroyer aided attack .; German Vessel Said to Have Fired on the Leon Gambetta. NYT, April 29, 1915
- Admiral Senes lost aboard the Gambetta; French Ministry Reports Him Among the Victims - Italians Bury Dead With Honors. NYT, April 30, 1915
- How he sank a cruiser .; Submarine Captain Describes the Destruction of the Leon Gambetta. NYT, May 1, 1915
Web links
- Léon Gambetta class
- Léon Gambetta
- Plans and documents for the Leon Gambetta (PDF; 50 kB) from the Service Historique de la Défense (French)