French ironclad Colbert The French ironclad " Colbert " was the lead ship of the s that were built for the French Navy in the 1870s . The ship was the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron for most of her career . She took part in the French occupation of Tunisia , notably shelling and landing troops in Sfax on 15 – 16 July 1881 . " Colbert " was paid off in 1895 and condemned in 1900 . The ship was finally sold for scrap in 1909 . Design and description . The " Colbert " - class ships were designed by Constructor Sabattier as improved versions of the ironclad . As a central battery ironclad , " Colbert " had her armament concentrated amidships . Like most ironclads of her era she was equipped with a plough - shaped ram . Her crew numbered 774 officers and men . The metacentric height of the ship was low , a little above . The ship measured overall , with a beam of . " Colbert " had a maximum draft of and displaced . Propulsion . " Colbert " reverted to a single propeller shaft to improve her sailing qualities . She had one Wolf 3 - cylinder horizontal return connecting rod compound steam engine . The engine was powered by eight oval boilers and was designed for a capacity of . On sea trials the engine produced and " Colbert " reached . She carried a maximum of of coal which allowed her to steam for approximately at a speed of . " Colbert " was ship rigged with three masts and had a sail area around . Armament . " Colbert " had two guns mounted in barbette s on the upper deck , one gun at the forward corners of the battery , with six additional guns on the battery deck below the barbettes . The side of the upper deck were cut away to improve the ability of the barbette guns to bear fore and aft . One was mounted in the forecastle as a chase gun . The ship ' s secondary armament consisted of six guns , four forward of the battery and two aft . These latter two guns were replaced in 1878 by another 240 - millimetre gun as a stern chaser . The ship also mounted four above - water torpedo tube s were added . The 18 - caliber 274 - millimeter Modèle 1870 gun fired an armor - piercing , shell while the gun itself weighed . The gun fired its shell at a muzzle velocity of and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal of wrought iron armor at the muzzle . The armor - piercing shell of the 19 - caliber 240 - millmeter Modèle 1870 gun weighed while the gun itself weighed . It had a muzzle velocity of and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal of wrought iron armor at the muzzle . The 138 - millimeter gun was 21 calibers long and weighed . It fired a explosive shell that had a muzzle velocity of . The guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells . At some point the ship received fourteen to eighteen Hotchkiss 5 - barrel revolving guns . They fired a shell weighing about at a muzzle velocity of about to a range of about . They had a rate of fire of about 30 rounds per minute . Armor . The " Colbert " - class ships had a complete wrought iron waterline belt that was thick amidships and tapered to at the stern . It was backed by of wood . The sides of the battery itself were armored with of wrought iron , backed by of wood , and the ends of the battery were closed by transverse armored bulkheads thick , backed by of wood . The barbettes were unarmored , but the deck was thick . Service . " Colbert " was named in honor of Jean - Baptiste Colbert , Controller - General of Finances from 1665 to 1683 under King Louis XIV . She was laid down at Brest in 1869 and launched on 16 September 1875 . While the exact reason for such prolonged construction time is not known , it is believed that reduction of the French Navy ' s budget after the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 – 71 and out - of - date work practices in French dockyards were likely causes . The ship began her sea trials on 23 May 1877 , but became flagship of the Reserve Squadron on 31 August 1878 . On 1 October 1879 she became the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron ; which post she would hold until 14 January 1890 when she was placed in reserve . " Colbert " bombarded the Tunisian port of Sfax on 15 – 16 July 1881 as the French occupied Tunisia . She became flagship of the Reserve Squadron again on 12 April 1892 until she was paid off in 1895 . She was condemned on 11 August 1900 , before being sold for scrap in 1909 .