The Amiral Baudin class used twelve fire-tube boilers and two compound engines for a theoretical speed of fifteen knots. Its three 370-millimetre main guns embodied battleship status, while the ships received newer 163-millimetre and 138-millimetre secondary weapons as they fitted out. The contrast suggests that designers put their newest gun technology into the weapons most likely to sustain close-range fighting. Heavy belt, barbette, and conning-tower armour provided substantial protection, although carrying so much weight high in the hull raised stability concerns. Formidable's time as a Mediterranean flagship and the sisters' 1895 grounding place those design choices in an operational setting.
Notable Point · 28:59-32:19
Amiral Baudin: old status guns and newer fighting batteries
The French Amiral Baudin class paired enormous older-pattern main guns with newer secondary weapons, revealing which parts of the battery designers expected to matter most.