French seaplane carrier Foudre

Foudre, first seaplane carrier in history, with hangar and cranes.
History
France
NameFoudre
Namesake"Lightning"
BuilderChantiers de la Gironde, France
Laid down9 June 1892
Launched20 Oct 1895
Completed1896 (as a torpedo boat depot ship)
Decommissioned1 Dec 1921
FateScrapped
General characteristics
TypeTorpedo boat tender / Seaplane carrier
Tonnage6,100 tonnes (6,004 long tons)
Length118.8 m (389 ft 9 in)
Beam15.5 m (50 ft 10 in)
Draught7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Installed power12,000 shp (8,948 kW)
PropulsionTriple expansion engines, 24 boilers, 2 shafts
Speed19 knots (35 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried
8 torpedo boats
Complement430
Armament
ArmourDeck : 120 mm (4.7 in)
Aircraft carried4 seaplanes after conversion

The Foudre was a French seaplane carrier, the first in history.[1][2] Her development followed the invention of the seaplane in 1910 with the French Le Canard.

  1. ^ "The first ship to be transformed into a seaplane-carrier was the auxiliary cruiser Foudre in August 1912" (Fr: "le premier navire transformé en " porte-hydravions " est le croiseur auxiliaire Foudre en août 1912") French Defense Ministry
  2. ^ "Le premier navire à être transformé en porte hydravion a été le croiseur auxiliaire Foudre en août 1911" "The first ship to be transformed into a seaplane carrier was the auxiliary cruiser Foudre in August 1911" [1] Archived 2006-11-20 at the Wayback Machine

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