Composition of the French It is, of course, not permitted to give the present composition of the French fleet. We must con fine ourselves to stating what it was in July 1914, and what ships were under construction at that time.
(1) Ironclad Squadron.— 25, armored or launched and in course of construction (4 dreadnaughts) ; 3 dreadnaughts in the stocks and in an advanced stage of construction; 4 in the primary stage of construction. Characteristics of the latter: 25,250 tons; 21 knots; 12 guns of 34 centimeters, 24 of 14 centimeters, 4 of 47 millimeters and 6 torpedo tubes; armor belt plate of 320 millimeters; turbine engines; 1,000 to 2,700 tons of coal.
(2) Battle Cruisers or Rapid Dreadnoughts. —NiL (3) Armored Cruisers.-22 (5 of which are of a very old type and of small displace ment, the others varying between 10,000 and 14,000 tons).
(4) Armored Coast Defense (one of which is a of 1,800 tons, the two others of 7,000 and 9,000 tons).
10, all (5) old ty ted Cruisers or Light pe (6) Destroyers or Torpedo 90, types vary from 310 to 850 tons; characteristics of the latter: 31 knots, turbine engines, 2 guns of 100 millimeters, 4 of 65 millimeters, 4 tor pedo tubes.
(7) Torpedo About 150*, from 80 to 185 tons, 21 to 30 knots, usually 2 tubes and 2 or 3 light guns.
(8) Submersible Boats and Submarines. —53 in service and 18 under construction (plus 6 under study), varying with a marked differ ence of types from 155 to 215 tons to 833 to 1,100 (Dupuy de Lome, Sani, Gustave ZIA etc.).
(9) Auxiliary transport for tor pedoes and mines; supplementary naval work shops; 2 mine layers, 2 mine sweepers (4 under construction) • 2 petroleum reservoir tenders; 8 transports; '3 gunboats; 3 river boats, etc.
(10) Steamships Liable to be Requisitioned and Armed.—About 40 (La France 23,700 tons; 24 knots; 7 or 8 guns of 14 centimeters).
Theoretically the warships of the fleet from the ironclads to the submarines ought to have been distributed for eventual disposal both as to personnel and material over various aposi fixed by the regulations; complete arma ment, armament for trials; reserve (1st and 2d category) ; disarmament. As a matter of fact, as regards the material there was a 'tendency for complete armament, the state of disarma ment being nearly always assimilated to that of the ships to be condemned. Concerning
the personnel, the Minister himself determines the composition of the men in each particular case and for each of the positions to be taken up by the ship.
Disposition of the Naval A fleet composed of two squadrons of ironclads of recent type, one division of armored cruisers and several flotillas of small ships— including agroup of submersibles — was maintained, fully armed, in the Mediterranean. A squad ron of old-type ironclads, of reduced effec fives, and specially used as training ships, formed a solid reserve for this fleet. In the Atlantic and the Channel there only existed a strong division of armored cruisers, compara tively ancient, supported by flotillas of de stroyers and submarines.* In Morocco a small division consisting of a cruiser and some small boats or transports patroled the coast. In the extreme Orient there was a naval division con sisting of an armored cruiser, two or three light cruisers, some river gunboats, a few tor pedo boats and some submarines of a small type. The field of action for this division was very extended, covering the whole of the Paci fic and the Indian Ocean. Finally, in the dif ferent colonies, the Antilles, Senegal, Madagas car, Indo-China, Pacific Settlements, there were small ships fulfilling the role of police scouting.
Bases for European waters and northern Africa, the following six mari time ports form the bases for operations: Cher bourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, Toulon and Bizerta (north of Tunis). However, the har bor at Dunkirk, with that of Calais, would also be considered as secondary bases in the North Sea, and especially the first, being splendidly defended both by natural and artificial means (the shoals of Flanders). Bizerta was not quite completed, but was able to render good service which, in fact, it did. In the above mentioned six fortified maritime centres, the supreme command of the entire milttary organ ization, under the orders of the Minister of War, was in the hands of the Vice-Admiral Maritime Prefect. This superior officer was of course also responsible for the fixed and mobile maritime organizations (mines, tor pedoes, barrages, projectors, torpedo-boats, sub marines, etc.). In short, he was, and still is, general director of the arsenal, central head quarters of the maritime bases.