French battleship Carnot Carnot was an ironclad battleship of the French Navy . She was laid down in July 1891 , launched in July 1894 , and completed in July 1897 . She was a member of a group of five broadly similar battleships , along with " Charles Martel " , " Jauréguiberry " , " Bouvet " , and " Masséna " , which were ordered in response to the British . Like her half - sisters , she was armed with a main battery of two guns and two guns in individual turrets . She had a top speed of . " Carnot " had a fairly uneventful career . She spent the majority of her service life in the Northern and Mediterranean Squadrons of the French fleet , where she participated in extensive , annual maneuvers . She was withdrawn from service by the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 , and so did not see action during the conflict . She remained in the French Navy ' s inventory until 1922 , when she was stricken from the naval register and sold for scrap . Design . " Carnot " was the second member of a group of five battleships built to a broadly similar design , but different enough to be considered unique vessels . The first ship was " Charles Martel " , which formed the basis for " Carnot " and three other ships . Design specifications were identical for each of the ships , but different engineers designed each vessel . The ships were based on the previous battleship " Brennus " , but instead of mounting the main battery all on the centerline , the ships used the lozenge arrangement of the earlier vessel " Magenta " , which moved two of the main battery guns to single turrets on the wings . The five ships were built in response to the British s . General characteristics and machinery . " Carnot " was long between perpendiculars , and had a beam of and a draught of . She had a displacement of . Her bridge was cut down compared to " Charles Martel " to save weight , and she was equipped with lighter pole masts instead of the heavy fighting masts used on her half - sister . She had a crew of 647 officers and enlisted men . " Carnot " had two vertical triple expansion engines each driving a single screw , with steam supplied by twenty - four Lagrafel d ' Allest water - tube boilers . Her propulsion system was rated at , which allowed the ship to steam at a speed of . As built , she could carry of coal , though additional space allowed for up to in total . Armament and armor . " Carnot " s main armament consisted of two Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887 gun s in two single - gun turrets , one each fore and aft . She also mounted two Canon de 274 mm Modèle 1887 gun s in two single - gun turrets , one amidships on each side , sponsoned out over the tumblehome of the ship ' s sides . Her secondary armament consisted of eight Canon de 138 . 6 mm Modèle 1888 gun s , which were mounted in single turrets at the corners of the superstructure . She also carried four 9 - pounder quick - firing guns , twelve 3 - pounders , and eight 1 - pounder revolving cannons . Her armament suite was rounded out by two torpedo tube s , which were submerged in the ship ' s hull . The ship ' s armor was constructed with nickel steel . The main belt was thick amidships , and tapered down to at the lower edge . On either end of the central citadel , the belt was reduced to at the waterline and 250 mm on the lower edge ; the belt extended for the entire length of the hull . Above the belt was thick side armor . The main battery guns were protected with of armor , and the secondary turrets had 101 mm thick sides . The main armored deck was thick . The conning tower had thick sides . History . " Carnot " was laid down in Toulon in July 1891 and launched three years later in July 1894 . Fitting - out work was completed another three years after that , in July 1897 , and the ship was commissioned into the French Navy . " Carnot " spent the majority of her active career alternating between the Northern and Mediterranean Squadrons . The newer battleships typically served in the Mediterranean , while older vessels were assigned to the Northern Squadron . In 1901 , she was assigned to the Northern Squadron , under the command of Vice Admiral Ménard . The Northern Squadron conducted annual training exercises in June ; the following month , they joined the Mediterranean Squadron for combined fleet maneuvers . By 1902 , " Carnot " had been transferred to the Reserve Squadron of the Mediterranean Squadron , alongside the old battleships " Charles Martel " , " Brennus " , and " Hoche " . The Reserve Squadron was commanded by Rear Admiral Besson , who flew his flag in " Brennus " . The entire French fleet , including " Carnot " , conducted extensive maneuvers in the Mediterranean in July and August of that year . " Carnot " had been transferred to the Northern Squadron by 1906 , and participated in the annual summer maneuvers in June – July 1906 . The following year , " Carnot " was back in the Mediterranean , in the Second Squadron . She remained in the Second Squadron through 1909 . By the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 , " Carnot " had been laid up in the port of Brest , along with " Charles Martel " . Both ships were retained on the effective list , however , pending the completion of the new s . " Carnot " was ultimately stricken from the naval register in 1922 and sold for scrapping that year .