Descartes entered service and was sent almost immediately to China with an older ironclad, another protected cruiser, and an unprotected cruiser. The force was already on station as the Boxer crisis developed. Pascal later arrived with Jean Bart and Duguay-Trouin as France reinforced and rotated its East Asian squadron. Protected cruisers supplied this forward presence even while the fleet debated their ideal design.
Chapter · 27:04-29:25
Descartes joins the multinational naval buildup in China
The new cruiser went directly to East Asia and became part of France's changing force during the Boxer Rebellion.