Jules Ferry

Jules Ferry was the second of three Léon Gambetta-class armored cruisers built for the French Navy during the first decade of the 20th century. Armed with four guns, the ships were much larger and more powerfully armed than their predecessors. Completed in 1907, she was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron where she served as a flagship. During World War I, Jules Ferry escorted convoys as well as the capital ships of the French fleet. The ship participated in the blockade of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic Sea until 1917 when she began serving as a transport. She was reduced to reserve shortly before the end of the war in late 1918. Three years later, the cruiser was reactivated; she served in the Far East in 1923–1925 and returned to reserve upon her return. Jules Ferry was sold for scrap in 1928. Description The Léon Gambetta-class ships were designed as enlarged and more powerful versions of the armored cruisers. The first two ships ( and Jules Ferry) measured overall, with a beam of and a draft of . All three sister ships were designed to displace at normal load. Their crew normally numbered 26 officers and 708 enlisted men, or 30 officers and 749 men when serving as a flagship.