Forbin's 1896 modernization removed her mainmast and all four torpedo tubes, stripping away a defining part of the original flotilla-leader armament. Five additional 47 mm guns increased her ability to engage small craft. Niclausse water-tube boilers replaced the original machinery and could burn a mixture of coal and oil, a transitional propulsion choice. A later fire in Poudre B smokeless-propellant charges burned five men and filled the ship with fumes that nearly asphyxiated crew members during the night. Adjacent charges did not detonate, so the incident became a lesson in both new-propellant danger and damage containment.
Notable Point · 18:44-19:30
Forbin's refit removed torpedoes and introduced mixed-fuel boilers
An 1896 refit traded Forbin's original torpedo battery for more light guns and mixed coal-and-oil water-tube boilers, while a later Poudre B fire exposed ammunition hazards.