 Tonnante wintering between 1855 and 1856.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Ordered | 28 July 1854 |
| Builder | Naval Shipyard, Brest |
| Laid down | 5 September 1854 |
| Launched | 17 March 1855. |
| Commissioned | 30 July 1855 |
| Stricken | 31 August 1871 |
| Fate | Sold to be broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Dévastation-class ironclad floating battery |
| Displacement | 1,575 metric tons (1,550 long tons) |
| Length | 52.35 m (171.8 ft) (o/a |
| Beam | 13.14 m (43.1 ft) |
| Draught | 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × shaft, 2-cylinder steam engine |
| Sail plan | Three-masted, 885 m2 (9,530 sq ft) |
| Speed | 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) |
| Complement | 280 or 282 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | |
Tonnante was a Dévastation-class ironclad floating battery of the French Navy that served during the 19th century. The Dévastation class were designed in response to the needs of the Crimea War. The ships were armed with sixteen 30-pounder 194 mm (7.6 in) guns and protected by armor belt that was 110 mm (4.3 in) thick. They were underpowered and able to attain less than 4 knots (7 km/h; 5 mph) in service. Launched in 1855, Tonnante was towed to the battlefield by paddle frigate Darien and participated in the Battle of Kinburn, shelling a Russian fortress on the Kinburn Spit. Despite taking 55 hits from the defenders' guns, the ship only suffered with nine sailors injured. The fortress surrendered and the action encouraged the development of ironclads in navies across the world. Subsequently, the warship served in a siege flotilla in the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, where the presence of the ships proved sufficient to deter the Austro-Hungarian Navy from taking part in the conflict. Tonnante was broken up from 1872.