French ironclad Reine Blanche The French ironclad " Reine Blanche " was a wooden - hulled armored corvette built for the French Navy in the late 1860s as an improvement over the armored covervette . She played a minor role in the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 and was accidentally rammed by one of her sisters in 1877 . The ship bombarded the port of Sfax during the French occupation of Tunisia in 1881 before being sent to the Pacific in 1884 . She quickly returned to port with worn - out boilers and was condemned later that year . Design and description . The s were designed as improved versions of the armored corvette , suited for foreign deployments . Unlike their predecessor , the " Alma " - class ships were true central battery ironclads as they were fitted with armored transverse bulkheads . Like most ironclads of their era , they were equipped with a metal - reinforced ram . " Reine Blanche " measured between perpendiculars , with a beam of . She had a mean draft of and displaced . Her crew numbered 316 officers and men . Propulsion . The ship had a single horizontal return connecting - rod steam engine driving a single propeller . Her engine was powered by four oval boilers . On sea trials the engine produced and the ship reached . " Reine Blanche " carried of coal , allowing the ship to steam for at a speed of . She was barque - rigged and had a sail area of . Armament . " Reine Blanche " mounted her four Modèle 1864 breech - loading guns in the central battery on the battery deck . The other two 194 - millimeter guns were mounted in barbettes on the upper deck , sponsoned out over the sides of the ship . The four guns were also mounted on the upper deck . She may have exchanged her Mle 1864 guns for Mle 1870 guns . The armor - piercing shell of the 20 - caliber Mle 1870 gun weighed 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 armour at the muzzle . The guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells . Armor . " Reine Blanche " had a complete wrought iron waterline belt , approximately high . The sides of the battery itself were armored with of wrought iron and the ends of the battery were closed by bulkheads of the same thickness . The barbette armor was thick , backed by of wood . The unarmored portions of her sides were protected by iron plates . Service . " Reine Blanche " was laid down at Lorient in 1865 and launched on 10 March 1868 . The ship began her sea trials on 15 April 1869 and was put into reserve at Brest after they were completed . She was commissioned on 20 July 1870 and made one cruise to the Shetland Islands during the Franco - Prussian War before she was placed in reserve again on 20 September . " Reine Blanche " was recommissioned in July 1871 as flagship of the second division of the Evolutionary Squadron . During the Cantonal Revolution " Reine Blanche " and her sister spent much of September – October 1873 in the port of Cartagena , Spain , where they could protect French citizens . She was reduced to reserve on 1 February 1876 and recommissioned in April 1877 . On 3 July 1877 she was accidentally rammed by " Thétis " and had to be run ashore to prevent her from sinking . " Reine Blanche " was placed back into reserve in 1878 . She was recommissioned on 15 April 1879 for service with the Levant Squadron . From 5 – 16 July 1881 " Reine Blanche " bombarded the Tunisian port of Sfax as part of the French occupation of Tunisia . The ship was named as the flagship of the Pacific Squadron on 20 January 1884 under command of Rear Admiral Franquet , but she returned to Cherbourg on 22 May 1884 with worn - out boilers and her hull in poor shape . " Reine Blanche " was paid off and condemned on 12 November 1884 .