Admiral Théophile Aube became naval minister with a strong commitment to Jeune École ideas and asked inspector-general de Bussy for a qualifying cruiser design on 1 February 1886. De Bussy returned specifications the next day. They called for 19.5 knots, a 2,400-nautical-mile range at 10 knots, two 138.6 mm guns, and a 40 mm curved armored deck. A genuine start from zero would still have required meetings, engineering consultation, industrial advice, calculations, sketching, and administrative scheduling. The compressed timetable suggests that the specification and much of the framework design were probably prepared before the formal request. A further month converted that groundwork into a realistic detailed design approved on 20 March, still an unusually rapid performance within the complex French procurement system.
Notable Point · 6:32-10:49
Aube's ministry produced specifications in less than a day
The one-day turnaround from Admiral Aube's request to de Bussy's specifications suggests that Jeune École advocates entered office with the Forbin concept substantially prepared.