View source for French cruiser Ernest Renan

{{Short description|French armored cruiser of the 1900s}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=''Ernest Renan''}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:Armoured cruiser-Ernest RenanLOC11005uAA.jpg|300px|Ernest Renan]]
|Ship caption=''Ernest Renan'' at anchor
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|France}}
|Class before={{ship|French cruiser|Jules Michelet||2}}
|Class after={{sclass|Edgar Quinet|cruiser|4}}
|Cost=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship flag=
|Ship name=''Ernest Renan''
|Ship namesake=[[Ernest Renan]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Chantiers de Penhoët]], [[Saint-Nazaire]]
|Ship laid down=21 October 1903
|Ship launched=9 April 1906
|Ship completed=1909
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=1931
|Ship struck=1931
|Ship fate=Sunk as a [[target ship]], 1931
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Armored cruiser]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|13644|t|LT|0|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|159|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|21.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|8.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*{{convert|37000|ihp|lk=in|abbr=on}}
*42 × [[Niclausse boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=
*3 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
*3 × [[screw propeller]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|5100|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=750 or 824
|Ship crew=
|Ship armament=*2 twin [[Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1902 gun|{{convert|194|mm|abbr=on}} guns]]
*12 single [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|{{convert|164|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns
*16 single [[Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891|{{convert|65|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] guns
*8 single [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|abbr=on}}]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s
*2 × {{cvt|450|mm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|2.3|-|6|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on|0}}
*Primary [[gun turret]]s: {{convert|8|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on|0}}
*Intermediate gun turrets: {{convert|6.5|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]: {{convert|3.5|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1.8|-|2.6|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Ernest Renan''''' was an [[armored cruiser]] built for the [[French Navy]] in the first decade of the 20th century. At the outbreak of [[World War I]] in August 1914, she participated in the hunt for the German [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Goeben}} and then joined the [[blockade]] of the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] in the Adriatic. She took part in the [[Battle of Antivari]] later in August, and the seizure of [[Corfu]] in January 1916, but saw no further action during the war. After the war, the British and French [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War|intervened in the Russian Civil War]]; this included a major naval deployment to the [[Black Sea]], which included ''Ernest Renan''. She served as a [[training ship]] in the late 1920s before she was sunk as a [[target ship]] in the 1930s.

==Design and description==
[[File:Cruiser Ernest Renan diagrams Brasseys 1923.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in [[Brassey's Naval Annual]] 1923]]
''Ernest Renan'' was intended to be a member of the {{sclass|Leon Gambetta|cruiser|4}}, but [[naval architect]] [[Emile Bertin]] repeatedly tinkered with the design and decided to lengthen the ship in an attempt to increase her speed. She measured {{convert|159|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[Length overall|overall]], with a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|21.4|m|ftin|sp=us}}. ''Ernest Renan'' had a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|8.2|m|ftin|sp=us}} and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|13644|t|LT|sp=us}}. Her crew numbered either 750<ref name=s2>Silverstone, p. 80</ref> or 824 officers and enlisted men.<ref name=ck7>Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 307</ref>

The ship had three [[propeller shaft]]s, each powered by a single [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|vertical triple-expansion steam engine]]. They were rated at a total of {{convert|37000|ihp|lk=in}} using steam provided by 42 [[Field-tube boiler#Niclausse boiler|Niclausse boilers]]. The boilers were grouped into two sets of [[Fire room|boiler room]]s that were separated by the [[amidships]] [[gun turret]]s and their [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s. They exhausted into six [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s, which were grouped in two widely spaced sets of three. ''Ernest Renan'' had a designed speed of {{convert|23|kn|lk=in}},<ref name=s2/> but reached {{convert|24.4|kn}} from {{convert|37685|ihp|abbr=on}} during her [[sea trial]]s. She initially carried up to {{convert|2260|t|LT}} of coal, although this was later reduced to {{convert|1870|t|LT}},<ref name=ck7/> which gave her a range of {{convert|5100|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}.<ref name=s2/>

''Ernest Renan''{{'}}s [[main battery|main armament]] consisted of four 50-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] [[Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1902 gun]]s mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft. Her [[secondary armament]] was twelve 45-caliber [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893-96]] guns. Eight of these were in single turrets on the [[forecastle]] deck and the other four were in [[casemate]]s. For anti-[[torpedo boat]] defence she carried sixteen {{convert|65|mm|adj=on|1|sp=us}} guns and eight [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us}}]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s. She was also armed with two submerged {{convert|450|mm|1|adj=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s. During World War I, some of her lighter guns were replaced by anti-aircraft guns, but details are lacking.<ref name=ck7/>

The waterline [[armored belt]] of ''Ernest Renan'' was {{convert|152|mm|sp=us|0}} thick amidships and extended from {{convert|4|ft|5|in|m|order=flip|sp=us}} below the [[waterline]] to {{convert|7|ft|7|in|m|order=flip|sp=us}} above it. The armor thinned to {{convert|102|mm|sp=us}} forward of the [[foremast]] and {{convert|3.3|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} aft of the [[mainmast]]. It did not extend all the way to the stern and terminated in a {{convert|3.5|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us|adj=on}} [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]. The upper [[strake]] of armor was {{convert|1.4|-|2.3|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} thick and extended to the upper [[deck (ship)|deck]]. The curved protective deck had a thickness of {{convert|1.8|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} along its centerline that increased to {{convert|2.6|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} at its outer edges and {{convert|2.8|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} over the [[rudder]]. A watertight internal [[cofferdam]], filled with [[cellulose]], ran the length of the ship between the upper and main decks.<ref name=ck7/>

The main gun turrets had {{convert|203|mm|in|0|sp=us|adj=on}} thick sides and {{convert|2|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us|adj=on}} roofs and the intermediate turrets were protected by {{convert|6.5|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us|adj=on}} sides and had {{convert|1.2|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us|adj=on}} roofs. The supports for the turrets ranged from {{convert|4|to|7.2|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us|0}} in thickness for the main turrets and {{convert|2.5|to|5.2|in|mm|order=flip|sp=us}} for the intermediate turrets. The [[conning tower]] was 203&nbsp;mm thick.<ref name=ck7/><ref group=Note>The armor layout is somewhat unclear; in ''Directory of the World's Capital Ships'', Silverstone provides different figures, including an armored belt {{convert|90|-|170|mm|abbr=on}} thick and thinner protection for the main turrets and intermediate turrets, at {{convert|170|mm|abbr=on}} and {{convert|165|mm|abbr=on}}, respectively. See Silverstone, p. 82, for further details.</ref>

==Construction and career==
''Ernest Renan'', named after the [[philosopher]] and [[philologist]] [[Ernest Renan]], was built at the ''[[Chantiers de Penhoët]]'' shipyard in [[Saint-Nazaire]]. Her [[keel]] was [[keel laying|laid down]] on 21 October 1903 and she was [[ship launching|launched]] on 9 April 1906.<ref name=ME7-1909>{{cite journal |last1=Peltier |first1=J. |year=1906 |title=Launching of the French Armored Cruiser ''Ernest Renan'' |journal=International Marine Engineering |volume=11 |issue=July |pages=249–251 |publisher=Marine Engineering, Inc., New York—London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2W3mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA249 |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref group=Note>Silverstone, p. 97, gives 1 October 1903 and 9 March 1906 respectively; however the contemporary professional article differs. The linked article contains interesting photographs of the hull on the ways and after launch.</ref> During the launch, general manager of [[Schneider-Creusot]] Maurice Geny died in a falling incident.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maurice Geny - Graces Guide |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Maurice_Geny |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk}}</ref> [[Fitting-out]] work was completed by early 1909, and she was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the French Navy in February.<ref name="ck7"/> After entering service, ''Ernest Renan'' was assigned to the cruiser squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet, based in [[Toulon]].<ref>Earle, p. 1113</ref> In April 1912, she was assigned to the 1st Light Squadron, along with the two {{sclass|Edgar Quinet|cruiser|1}}s.<ref>Ingersoll, p. 1385</ref>

===World War I===
[[File:French cruiser Ernest Renan.jpg|thumb|''Ernest Renan'' steaming at high speed]]
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, ''Ernest Renan'' and the armored cruisers {{ship|French cruiser|Edgar Quinet||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Jules Michelet||2}} were mobilized as the First Light Division and tasked with hunting down the German [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Goeben}} and the [[light cruiser]] {{SMS|Breslau}}.<ref name=GG193/> These ships, along with a flotilla of twelve [[destroyer]]s, was to steam to [[Skikda|Philippeville]] on 4 August, but the German ships had bombarded the port the previous day. This attack, coupled with reports that suggested the Germans would try to break out of the Mediterranean into the Atlantic, prompted the French high command to send ''Ernest Renan'' and the First Light Division further west, to [[Algiers]] in an attempt to block the Germans.<ref>Corbett, pp. 61&ndash;62</ref>

After the German ships escaped to [[Constantinople]], rather than attack the French troop transports from North Africa as had been expected, the French turned to address the next naval threat: the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] in the [[Adriatic Sea]]. ''Ernest Renan'' joined the rest of the French fleet in its blockade of the [[Adriatic Sea]]. The fleet, commanded by Admiral [[Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère]], had assembled by the night of 15 August; the following morning, it conducted a sweep into the Adriatic and encountered the Austro-Hungarian cruiser {{SMS|Zenta}}. In the ensuing [[Battle of Antivari]], ''Zenta'' was sunk, with no losses on the French side. The French fleet then withdrew due to the threat of Austro-Hungarian [[U-boat]]s in the area.<ref>Corbett, pp. 88&ndash;89</ref>

On 8 January 1916, ''Ernest Renan'', ''Edgar Quinet'', {{ship|French cruiser|Waldeck-Rousseau||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Jules Ferry||2}} embarked a contingent of ''[[Chasseurs Alpins]]'' (mountain troops) to seize the Greek island of [[Corfu]]. The cruisers sent the troops ashore on the night of 10 January; the Greek officials on the island protested the move but offered no resistance.<ref>Lauzanne, pp. 121&ndash;122</ref> On 22 December, ''Ernest Renan'' collided with an Italian steamer, several passengers of which drowned in the accident.<ref>''New York Times Index'', p. 4</ref> ''Ernest Renan'' spent the rest of the war in the Mediterranean and did not see further action.<ref name=GG193/>

===Postwar===
Shortly after the end of the war, British and French warships began to operate in the [[Black Sea]] in what became a large-scale [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War|intervention in the Russian Civil War]] against the [[Bolshevik]]s. ''Ernest Renan'' was among the first Allied warships to enter the area; she arrived in [[Novorossiysk]] with the British [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Liverpool|1909|6}} and two torpedo boats on 23 November 1918.<ref>Chamberlin, p. 153</ref> On 18 March 1921, the leadership of the [[Democratic Republic of Georgia]] was evacuated on board ''Ernest Renan'' to France after the [[Red Army invasion of Georgia]].<ref>Smele, p. 147</ref>

After returning to France, the ship's mainmast was removed to allow her to tow a balloon and [[anti-aircraft gun]]s were installed on the roofs of the after 164&nbsp;mm gun turrets.<ref name=GG193>Gardiner & Gray, p. 193</ref> ''Ernest Renan'' finished her active career as a gunnery [[training ship]] from 1927 to 1929, after which she was stricken from the [[naval register]].<ref>Jordan & Moulin, p. 167</ref> During her tenure in the gunnery school, she was commanded by [[Émile Muselier]], who went on to serve as the commander of the [[Free French Naval Forces]] during [[World War II]].<ref>Callo & Wilson, p. 293</ref> In 1931, the old cruiser was expended as a [[target ship]] for aircraft and naval gunners.<ref name=GG193/><ref group=Note>The ship's fate is also unclear, Silverstone says that she was discarded in 1936 and sunk in 1939. See Silverstone, p. 97, for further details.</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Ernest Renan (ship, 1906)}}
{{reflist|colwidth=20em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1=Callo|first1=Joseph F.|last2=Wilson|first2=Alastair|title=Who's Who in Naval History: From 1550 to the Present|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=113439540X}}
* {{cite book|last=Chamberlin|first=William Henry|title=The Russian Revolution, Volume II: 1918-1921: From the Civil War to the Consolidation of Power|year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton|isbn=9781400858705}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}
* {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian Stafford|title=Naval Operations: To The Battle of the Falklands, December 1914  | url = https://archive.org/details/navaloperations04corb|volume=I|year=1920|publisher=Longmans, Green & Co.|location=London|oclc=873379826}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Dai|first1=Wei|title=A Discussion on French Armored Cruiser Identification: From the ''Gueydon'' Class to the ''Edgar Quinet'' Class |journal=Warship International |date=September 2020 |volume=LVII |issue=3 |pages=199–221 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite journal|editor-last=Earle|editor-first=Ralph|journal=[[Proceedings (magazine)|Proceedings]]|publisher=United States Naval Institute|location=Annapolis|year=1912|volume=38|number=1}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-87021-907-3|name-list-style=amp  | url=https://archive.org/details/allworldsfightin00rgre}}
* {{cite journal|last=Ingersoll|first=R. E.|journal=Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute|title=Organization of the Fleet for War|pages=1379–1405|year=1898|volume=39|number=4|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press}}
*{{cite book |last1=Jordan |first1=John |last2=Caresse |first2=Philippe |title=French Armoured Cruisers 1887–1932 |date=2019 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-5267-4118-9|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Lauzanne|first=Stéphane|translator=John L. B. Williams|title=Fighting France|url=https://archive.org/details/fightingfrance00willgoog|year=1918|location=New York|publisher=D. Appleton & Co.|oclc=1172534}}
* {{cite news|title=New York Times Index: A Masterkey to All Newspapers|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York|year=1916|volume=VI|number=4}}
* {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Smele|first=Jonothan D.|title=The Russian Civil Wars 1916–1926|date=28 July 2016|publisher=Hurst & Company|location=London|isbn=978-1-84904-721-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Sondhaus|first=Lawrence|title=The Great War at Sea: A Naval History of the First World War|year=2014|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-1-107-03690-1}}

{{French cruiser Ernest Renan}}
{{WWI French ships}}
{{1931 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernest Renan}}
[[Category:Cruisers of the French Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:1906 ships]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of France]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1931]]