The ship was built at the Brest arsenal and named for the French conquest of Sfax in Tunisia in 1881. That choice tied a new cruiser directly to a recent act of colonial expansion. Late nineteenth-century powers used warship names and maps of colonial possessions to advertise status and reach. The name made the cruiser a public reminder of French imperial power whenever she appeared abroad.
Notable Point · 23:10-23:58
The name Sfax as a statement of colonial prestige
Learn why naming the cruiser after France's 1881 conquest of Sfax advertised imperial power as well as commemorated an event.