Baliste was one of 20 Arquebuse-class destroyers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.

Baliste underway in harbor
History
France
Name	Baliste
Namesake	Ballista
Ordered	1901
Builder	Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire
Laid down	1901
Launched	22 October 1903
Stricken	30 October 1919
General characteristics
Class and type	Arquebuse-class destroyer
Displacement	323 t (318 long tons)
Length	58.26 m (191 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Beam	6.38 m (20 ft 11 in)
Draft	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Installed power	6,300 ihp (4,698 kW) 2 Normand or Du Temple boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 Triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range	2,300 nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	60
Armament	1 × 65 mm (2.6 in) gun 6 × 47 mm (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns 2 × 380 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes

Construction and design

Ten Arequebuse-class destroyers, including Baliste were ordered for the French Navy as part of the 1901 construction programme, joining 10 ordered under the previous years programme.[1] The Arquebuste-class were one of six classes of 300-tonne destroyers built between 1896 and 1908, with 55 destroyers of similar design built in total.[2][3] They differed from the previous classes in having higher boiler pressures, giving increased speeds.[1]

Baliste was 58.26 metres (191 ft 2 in) long overall and 56.30 metres (184 ft 9 in) at the waterline, with a beam of 6.38 metres (20 ft 11 in) and a draught of 3.20 metres (10 ft 6 in). Displacement was 320 tonnes (310 long tons). Two water-tube boilers fed steam to two triple expansion engines rated at 6,300 indicated horsepower (4,700 kW), giving a design speed of 28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h).[4]

Armament consisted of one 65 mm gun before the bridge and six 47 mm mounted on the ship's beams, three to a side. Two 381 mm (15 inch torpedo tubes were fitted, with two spare torpedoes carried.[1][5] Baliste was one of four 300 tonne destroyers fitted for minelaying between 1909 and 1912, while in 1915, two of the 47 mm guns were modified to give anti-aircraft fire.[6] The ship had a crew of 4 officers and 56 other ranks.[4]

Baliste was laid down in 1901 at the Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët shipyard in Rouen and launched on 22 October 1903. She reached a speed of 29.90 knots (34.41 mph; 55.37 km/h) during Sea trials between December 1903 and June 1904.[7]

Service

In October 1914, Baliste was employed on patrols off the western end of the English Channel.[8] Later in the war she was based at Bizerte and then Salonika. She was stricken and sold for scrap on 30 October 1919.[9]

References

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Monograph No. 24: Home Waters: Part II.: September and October 1914 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XI. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1924.