LA HOCHE - FRANCUSKI PANCERNIK Z 1889 ROKU

La Hoche was a French battleship (so-called pre-dreadnought or pre-dreadnought) from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The vessel was launched in 1886, and it was commissioned for service in the French Marine Nationale in 1890. The full displacement of the ship at the time of launching was about 12,000 tons, her length - 98 meters, and width - 21.2 meters. The maximum speed of the vessel did not exceed 16 knots. The ship's deck armament at the time of launching consisted of: two 340 mm guns, two 274 mm guns and 12 138 mm guns. La Hoche was designed and built when the so-called a young school, emphasizing the operation of light and fast units and cruising operations, and not perceiving the main strength of the Marine Nationale in battleships. Thus, the process of building this battleship was terribly extended, and even worse - during the construction, its design was still subject to changes. As a result, despite the use of the main armament for the first time in armored turrets, La Hoche was not very successful. Very soon after entering the service, he was sent for reconstruction[!] , and its last modernization took place in the years 1899-1900. The ship operated primarily in the Mediterranean, and only later was moved to the Atlantic and the English Channel. In the course of his service, he did not take part in major clashes. She was placed in reserve in April 1908, and was sunk as a target ship in 1913.