French Navy launches La Gloire, the first ocean-going ironclad (1859)

The French Navy launched La Gloire, the first ocean-going ironclad warship, at Toulon on 24 November 1859. Designed by Henri Dupuy de Lôme, the vessel featured a wooden hull protected by iron armor. The project emerged from naval gun advancements during the Crimean War, specifically the vulnerability of wooden ships to explosive shells. La Gloire's construction marked a shift in naval architecture, rendering traditional unarmoured wooden ships-of-the-line obsolete.

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Background and detail

Background. La Gloire was developed in response to new naval gun technologies, such as Paixhans guns and rifled guns, which used explosive shells to destroy wooden ships. The design was also influenced by Anglo-French ironclad floating batteries used during the Crimean War. These developments highlighted the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive and incendiary shells, prompting the construction of armored vessels.

Design. Designed by French naval architect Henri Dupuy de Lôme, La Gloire was a 5,630-ton broadside ironclad with a wooden hull. Dupuy de Lôme had intended for the Gloire-class to be fully iron-hulled, leading to the cancellation of all French Navy wooden-hulled construction projects. The ship carried weapons in a single line along its sides, consistent with the broadside ironclad design.

Construction. La Gloire was ordered on 4 March 1858 and laid down in the same month. Reports regarding its construction reached British rivals in May 1858. The ship was launched at the arsenal of Mourillon, Toulon, on 24 November 1859. It was completed for service in August 1860, following preliminary trials in June 1860.

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