Ernest Renan Armored Cruiser

Mathll · February 25, 2026, 10:46pm

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today I’m presenting a new ship of the French armed forces, the Ernest Renan.

Built at the Saint-Nazaire shipyards starting in 1904 and commissioned in 1909, the Ernest Renan was one of the last French armored cruisers. It joined the Mediterranean Fleet at its home port of Toulon. Before the outbreak of the First World War, the Ernest Renan participated in maneuvers, naval reviews, and international deployments, showcasing the power of the French Navy abroad. A photograph from 1911 shows it during a naval review in Toulon, illustrating its prominent role in the fleet before the conflict.
At the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Ernest Renan was engaged, along with other cruisers, in naval operations in the Mediterranean. He participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben at the start of hostilities, then joined the blockade of the Austro-Hungarian navy in the Adriatic Sea, with the aim of containing the enemy fleet. He took part in the Battle of Antivari in August 1914, during which the Allied forces sought to disrupt the communications and movements of the Austro-Hungarian forces. In January 1916, he was also present during the capture of the island of Corfu, an operation aimed at securing control of a strategic point in the Adriatic Sea and supporting the Allied forces on the Balkan front. After these engagements, the offensive activity of the Ernest Renan decreased, and he spent the remainder of the war on presence and patrol duties.

After the end of the First World War, the Ernest Renan was among the many Allied ships that participated in the naval intervention in the Black Sea during the Russian Civil War, notably supporting the evacuation of forces and civilians during the unrest following the Bolshevik Revolution.

The ship was subsequently modernized to improve its anti-aircraft capabilities and was also fitted with an observation balloon. Towards the end of its career, it was assigned as a gunnery training ship, serving as a training platform for future French sailors. It was decommissioned in 1931 and sank during a gunnery exercise, serving as a target for various ships. The Ernest Renan represents one of the last great armored cruisers of the French Navy before the era of modern cruisers and heavy battleships. Designed to combine firepower, speed, and range, it exemplifies the pinnacle of pre-1914 naval design and the transition to new maritime doctrines. Its active service during the First World War, its role in the blockade of the Adriatic and its participation in post-war operations in the Black Sea testify to the intensive use of these large vessels in the phases of conflict and power projection at the beginning of the 20th century.

Characteristics

Length: 159m

Width: 21.5m

Draft: 8.4m

Masse: 13,644 tons

The ship is powered by 3 steam engines fed by 42 boilers, giving it a power output of 37,000 hp and allowing it to reach a speed of 23 knots and a range of 5,100 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots. The wartime crew consists of 824 sailors.

Wepons

The ship has armament similar to that of French ships of the same period, including the following :

Guns :

2 x 2 194mm Mle1893/96
12 x 1 164mm Mle1893/96
16 x 1 65mm Mle1902
8 x 1 47mm Mle1886

Torpedo:

2 x 1 450mm torpedo tubes

Armor

Regarding its armor, the ship remains armored according to the standards of its time.

Belt: 58-152mm
Turret:
Primary: 203mm
Secondary: 170mm
Deck: 46-66mm
Conning Tower: 203mm

This ship would be particularly interesting, bringing to the French tree a fast ship with significant armament and good armor, thus providing a very interesting and unique unit for the tree, complementing it intelligently.

Pictures

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