Back Foudre (1895) Czech Foudre (Schiff, 1896) German Foudre (υδροπλανοφόρο) Greek FS Foudre Finnish Foudre (transport d'hydravions) French La Foudre Italian フードル (水上機母艦) Japanese Foudre (1895) Polish La Foudre Ukrainian
 Foudre, first seaplane carrier in history, with hangar and cranes.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Foudre |
| Namesake | Lightning |
| Builder |
|
| Laid down | 9 June 1892 |
| Launched | 20 Oct 1895 |
| Completed | 1896 (as a torpedo boat depot ship) |
| Decommissioned | 1 Dec 1921 |
| Fate | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Torpedo boat tender / Seaplane carrier |
| Tonnage | 6,100 tonnes (6,004 long tons) |
| Length | 118.8 m (389 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 7 m (23 ft 0 in) |
| Installed power | 12,000 shp (8,948 kW) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion engines, 24 boilers, 2 shafts |
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 8 torpedo boats |
| Complement | 430 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | Deck : 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Aircraft carried | 4 seaplanes after conversion |
The Foudre was a French seaplane carrier, the first in history.[1][2] Her development followed the invention of the seaplane in 1910 with the French Le Canard.
- ^ "The first ship to be transformed into a seaplane-carrier was the auxiliary cruiser Foudre in August 1912" (Fr: "le premier navire transformé en " porte-hydravions " est le croiseur auxiliaire Foudre en août 1912") French Defense Ministry
- ^ "Le premier navire à être transformé en porte hydravion a été le croiseur auxiliaire Foudre en août 1911" "The first ship to be transformed into a seaplane carrier was the auxiliary cruiser Foudre in August 1911" [1] Archived 2006-11-20 at the Wayback Machine