French battleship Suffren
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| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez |
| Builder: | Brest, France |
| Laid down: | 5 January 1899 |
| Launched: | 25 July 1899 |
| Commissioned: | 1903 |
| Fate: | Torpedoed by U 52 26 November 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Unique pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement: | 12,750 tonnes |
| Length: | 128.8 m |
| Beam: | 21.3 m |
| Draught: | 8.6 m |
| Propulsion: | 24 coal boilers, 3 triple-expension steam engines, 3 propellers |
| Speed: | 18 knots at 16,000 hp |
| Complement: | 730 |
| Armament: |
4 × 305mm/40 Modèle 1893 guns |
| Armour: |
305 mm belt and magazines |
The Suffren was a pre-Dreadnought battleship of the French navy, launched in July 1899 and torpedoed off Lisbon on 26 November 1916, going down with all hands. She was named after French admiral Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez.
In 1915 Suffren was the flagship of the squadron of four French battleships, commanded by Rear-Admiral Émile Guépratte, which took part in the naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. During the attack on the Narrows of the Dardanelles on 18 March 1915, Suffren suffered heavy damage from Turkish shore-based artillery which flooded compartments and disabled a number of guns. Suffren underwent repairs at Malta.
Having supported operations at Gallipoli and Salonika, Suffren was returning to Lorient for a refit when, on 26 November 1916, off the Portuguese coast near Lisbon, she was torpedoed by U 52. Accumulated damage meant she could only manage 10 knots but heavy seas meant she was only travelling at 9 knots, and without an escort, when attacked. The torpedo detonated a magazine and Suffren sank within seconds, taking the crew of 648 with her.
See French ship Suffren for other ships of this name.
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