French ironclad Redoutable

	Redoutable in her original configuration
History
France
Name	Redoutable
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient
Laid down	December 1872; 18 July 1873;
Launched	18 September 1876.
Commissioned	22 November 1878 for trials.; 31 December 1878 for service.; 8 February 1879;
Stricken	9 March 1910
Fate	Sold 17 August 1911 for 100,000 francs. 1912 broken up at Saigon.; Sold for demolition at Saigon 1913;
General characteristics
Type	Central-battery ironclad
Displacement	9,430 tonnes (9,280 long tons); 8,858.02 tonnes (8,718.12 long tons);
Length	95 m (311 ft 8 in) between perpendiculars; 100.7 m (330 ft 5 in) total;
Beam	19.76 m (64 ft 10 in)
Draft	7.8 m (26 ft)
Installed power	6,700 ihp (5,000 kW); 8 oval boilers ;
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 horizontal return connecting rod compound steam engines
Sail plan	Square rig, sail area 2,033 square metres (21,880 sq ft); 2,700 square metres (29,000 sq ft).;
Speed	14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) max speed on trials
Range	2,840 nautical miles at 10 knots (5,260 km at 19 km/h)
Complement	709
Armament	7 × 27cm Model 1875; 6 × 14cm Model 1870; 1 × 47mm; 12 × 37mm Hotchkiss revolving cannons; 4 × torpedo launchers;
Armour	Belt: 350 mm (13.8 in); Battery: 240–300 mm (9.4–11.8 in); Deck: 45–60 mm (1.8–2.4 in);

Redoutable was a central battery and barbette ship of the French Navy. She was the first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material. She was preceded by the Colbert-class ironclads and was succeeded by Dévastation-class.

Compared to iron, steel allowed for greater structural strength for a lower weight. France was the first country to manufacture steel in large quantities, using the Siemens process. At that time, steel plates still had some defects, and the outer bottom plating of the ship was made of wrought iron.

All-steel warships were later built by the Royal Navy, with the dispatch vessels Iris and Mercury, laid down in 1875–1876.

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