Suffren-class ship of the line

The Suffren class was a late type of 90-gun ships of the line of the French Navy.

The design was selected on 30 January 1824 by the Commission de Paris, an appointed Commission comprising Jean-Marguerite Tupinier, Jacques-Noël Sané, Pierre Rolland, Pierre Lair and Jean Lamorinière. Intended as successors of the 80-gun Bucentaure class and as the third of four ranks of ships of the line, they introduced the innovation of having straight walls, instead of the tumblehome design that had prevailed until then; this tended to heighten the ships' centre of gravity, but provided much more room for equipment in the upper decks. Stability issues were fixed with underwater stabilisers.

Only the first two, Suffren and Inflexible, retained the original design all through their career; the others were converted to steam and sail during their construction.

Ships
Fourteen ships were ordered to this design, of which twelve were modified as steam-driven vessels.


 * Suffren
 * Builder: Cherbourg
 * Begun: August 1824
 * Launched: 27 August 1829
 * Completed: March 1831
 * Fate: Deleted February 1861, renamed Ajax in April 1865, and taken to pieces 1874-76.


 * Inflexible
 * Builder: Rochefort
 * Begun: August 1827
 * Launched: 21 November 1839
 * Completed: August 1840
 * Fate: Condemned August 1875.


 * Bayard
 * Builder: Lorient
 * Begun: July 1823
 * Launched: 28 August 1847
 * Completed: August 1849
 * Fate: Renamed Triton in August 1876


 * Duguesclin
 * Builder: Rochefort
 * Begun: March 1823
 * Launched: 3 May 1848
 * Completed: August 1848
 * Fate: Wrecked 14 December 1859; refloated and taken to pieces in June 1860


 * Breslaw
 * Builder: Brest
 * Begun: May 1827
 * Launched: 31 July 1848
 * Completed: 1849
 * Fate: Deleted in May 1871, renamed Breslau 1881 and taken to pieces 1886-87.


 * Charlemagne
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: April 1834
 * Launched: 16 January 1851
 * Completed: December 1851 (as steam screw ship)
 * Fate: Condemned in February 1882. Taken to pieces 1884


 * Jean Bart
 * Builder: Lorient
 * Begun: 26 January 1849
 * Launched: 14 September 1852
 * Completed: April 1853 (as steam screw ship)
 * Fate: Renamed Donawerth in August 1868; sold or broken up in 1869


 * Donawerth
 * Builder: Lorient
 * Begun: July 1827
 * Launched: 15 February 1854
 * Completed: July 1854
 * Fate:


 * Tilsitt
 * Builder: Cherbourg
 * Begun: March 1832 as Diomède, renamed 23 November 1839
 * Launched: 30 March 1854
 * Completed: May 1854
 * Fate:


 * Saint Louis
 * Builder: Brest
 * Begun: July 1848
 * Launched: 25 April 1854
 * Completed:
 * Fate:


 * Alexandre
 * Builder: Rochefort
 * Begun:May 1848
 * Launched: 27 March 1857
 * Completed:
 * Fate:


 * Fontenoy
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: June 1827
 * Launched: 2 December 1858
 * Completed:
 * Fate:


 * Masséna
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: September 1835
 * Launched: 15 March 1860
 * Completed:
 * Fate:


 * Castiglione
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: October 1835
 * Launched: 14 July 1860
 * Completed:
 * Fate: