Edgar Quinet – French Armored Cruiser (1907)

by Editor · Published May 2, 2014 · Updated May 2, 2025

Overview
The Edgar Quinet was a French armored cruiser launched in 1907 and commissioned in 1911. Named after the 19th-century historian and philosopher Edgar Quinet, the ship was the lead and only completed vessel of her class. She represented the pinnacle of French armored cruiser design and was the last of her type built by France before the emergence of battlecruisers and fast battleships rendered the class obsolete. The Edgar Quinet had a relatively long service life, including active duty during World War I and a later role as a training ship.

Design and Construction
The Edgar Quinet was laid down at the Arsenal de Brest in 1905, launched on 21 September 1907, and commissioned into the French Navy in 1911. She was originally intended to be the first of a new class of heavily armed armored cruisers, building on the Léon Gambetta class but significantly improved in size, firepower, and protection.

Her main specifications were:

Displacement: 13,847 tons (standard), ~14,900 tons (full load)
Length: 158.9 meters (521.5 ft)
Beam: 21.5 meters (70.5 ft)
Draught: 8.5 meters (27.9 ft)

She was powered by three vertical triple-expansion steam engines and 40 Belleville boilers, producing 36,000 indicated horsepower and reaching speeds up to 23 knots. Her cruising range was approximately 7,500 nautical miles at 10 knots.

Armament and Armor
The Edgar Quinet was heavily armed for a cruiser of her time, reflecting France’s emphasis on heavily armed surface combatants:

Main battery: 14 × 194 mm (7.6 in) guns
(4 in twin turrets fore and aft, and 10 in single casemates along the sides)
Secondary armament: 20 × 65 mm (2.6 in) guns
Anti-torpedo boat defense: 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) submerged torpedo tubes

Armor layout included:

Belt: 150 mm (5.9 in)
Deck: 45 mm (1.8 in)
Turrets: 200 mm (7.9 in)
Conning tower: 200 mm (7.9 in)

Unlike many earlier armored cruisers, Edgar Quinet featured an all-quick-firing main battery, giving her a notable advantage in volume of fire.

Service History
The Edgar Quinet served with the French Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of World War I. She was involved in various operations in the Adriatic Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, including escort duties, coastal bombardments, and blockading Central Powers’ ports. In 1914, she participated in the occupation of the Greek island of Corfu.

In 1915, the cruiser took part in the evacuation of the Serbian Army from Albania, providing vital assistance in one of the more dramatic Allied withdrawals of the war. She also supported French and Allied operations against the Ottoman Empire.

After the war, from 1919 onward, the Edgar Quinet was converted into a training ship for naval cadets, succeeding Jeanne d’Arc in that role. She undertook numerous training cruises to French colonies and abroad, helping to maintain French naval presence and train a new generation of officers.

Decommissioning and Fate
In 1930, the Edgar Quinet was nearing obsolescence and was withdrawn from frontline service. While serving as a training ship in the Mediterranean, she ran aground off the coast of Algeria near Cape Blanc on 4 January 1930. Despite attempts to refloat her, the cruiser was declared a total loss and was scrapped in situ.

Her loss marked the symbolic end of the era of armored cruisers in the French Navy.

Legacy
As the last and most powerful armored cruiser built by France, the Edgar Quinet embodied the final stage of a warship type that bridged the gap between traditional cruisers and modern capital ships. Though soon outclassed by battlecruisers and dreadnoughts, she was a testament to the naval engineering and strategic thinking of the pre–World War I era.

Her role as a training vessel also ensured her influence on the French Navy extended well beyond her combat years.

See Also