French cruiser Jurien de la Gravière

Jurien de la Gravière was a protected cruiser built for the French Navy in the late 1890s and early 1900s, the last vessel of that type built in France. Intended to serve overseas in the French colonial empire, the ship was ordered during a period of internal conflict between proponents of different types of cruisers. She was given a high top speed to enable her to operate as a commerce raider, but the required hull shape made her maneuver poorly. The ship also suffered from problems with her propulsion machinery that kept her from reaching her intended top speed. She carried a main battery of eight 164 mm (6.5 in) guns and was protected by a curved armor deck that was 35–65 mm (1.4–2.6 in) thick.

Completed in 1903, Jurien de la Gravière initially served in the Atlantic Naval Division. Over the following several years, she made a number of visits to the United States, including to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase in 1903. During another visit in 1906, she collided with and sank a schooner. Jurien de la Gravière had been transferred to the Reserve Division of the Mediterranean Squadron by 1911, though she was reactivated in 1913 to serve with the main French fleet. She remained on active service into the start of World War I in August 1914, and after ensuring the safe passage of French Army units from North Africa to France, the fleet entered the Adriatic Sea to engage the Austro-Hungarian Navy. This resulted in the Battle of Antivari, where Jurien de la Gravière was detached to pursue the fleeing torpedo boat SMS Ulan, though she failed to catch her.

Jurien de la Gravière saw no further action during the conflict. The French fleet withdrew to blockade the southern end of the Adriatic and the Austro-Hungarians refused to send their fleet to engage them. After Italy's entry into the war in 1915, the French turned over control of the blockade and withdrew the bulk of the fleet. In October 1916, Jurien de la Gravière was detached to bombard the southern Anatolian coast of the Ottoman Empire. Later that year the fleet was moved to Greek waters to try to coerce the neutral Greek government to join the Allies, which they eventually did. Coal shortages kept the French from conducting any significant operations in 1918. After the war, Jurien de la Gravière served with the Syrian Division until early 1920, when she was recalled to France. She was subsequently sold to ship breakers.