France II

*France II*
	France II at Bordeaux harbour in 1912 before her maiden voyage
History
France
Name	France II
Namesake	State of France
Owner	Société Anonyme des Navires Mixtes (Prentout-Leblond), Leroux & Cie., Rouen
Route	France-Australia-New Caledonia-USA
Ordered	1911
Builder	Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde
Laid down	March 1912
Launched	November 9, 1912
Completed	October 1913
Maiden voyage	November 25, 1913 via Glasgow to Thio, New Caledonia with a cargo of coke
Homeport	Rouen, France
Identification	Code letters J H G T (French); ;
Fate	Stranded on Teremba reef on July 12, 1922, no loss of men
Badge	none; female figurehead representing the State of France
General characteristics
Type	Five-masted steel barque; Nickel ore bulk carrier;
Tonnage	5,633 GRT / 4,544 NRT
Displacement	10,710 ts (at 7,300 ts load)
Length	480.5 ft (146.5 m) (overall); 441.27 ft (134.50 m) (hull); 432.74 ft (131.90 m) (length on deck); 389.1 ft (118.6 m) (btw. perpendiculars);
Beam	55.65 ft (16.96 m)
Height	211.6 ft (64.5 m) (keel to masthead truck); 167.3 ft (51.0 m) (deck to masthead truck);
Draft	27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Depth	36.42 ft (11.10 m) (depth moulded)
Depth of hold	31.18 ft (9.50 m)
Decks	3 continuous steel, poop, midship, and forecastle decks
Deck clearance	8.2 ft (2.5 m)
Propulsion	sail and auxiliary propulsion (2 Schneider diesel engines of 950 hp (710 kW), removed in 1919)
Sail plan	38 sails: 20 square sails, 12 staysails, 4 foresails, 2 spanker sails; 68.350 square feet (6.350 m2) sail area;
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Boats & landing; craft carried	4 lifeboats
Complement	max. 45, since 1919: 50
Crew	captain, 2nd captain, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd mates, steward, 39/44 able seamen and shipboys (including sailmaker, cook etc.)
Armament	2 cannon (bow and stern) during WWI
Notes	lounge with piano, seven 1st class passenger cabins, library, darkroom, seawater therapy equipment

France II was a French sailing ship, built by Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde and launched in 1912. In hull length and overall size she was, after Preußen, the second largest commercial merchant sailing ship ever built. France II had the greatest cargo carrying capacity ever, 5,633 gross register tons (GRT) to the second-highest R. C. Rickmers at 5,548 GRT. An earlier sailing vessel named France had been built in 1890 by D. & W. Henderson & Son, Glasgow.

History
France II at Bordeaux harbour in 1912 before her maiden voyage
France
Name	France II
Namesake	State of France
Owner	Société Anonyme des Navires Mixtes (Prentout-Leblond), Leroux & Cie., Rouen
Route	France-Australia-New Caledonia-USA
Ordered	1911
Builder	Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde
Laid down	March 1912
Launched	November 9, 1912
Completed	October 1913
Maiden voyage	November 25, 1913 via Glasgow to Thio, New Caledonia with a cargo of coke
Homeport	Rouen, France
Identification	Code letters J H G T (French)
Fate	Stranded on Teremba reef on July 12, 1922, no loss of men
Badge	none; female figurehead representing the State of France
General characteristics
Type	Five-masted steel barque Nickel ore bulk carrier
Tonnage	5,633 GRT / 4,544 NRT
Displacement	10,710 ts (at 7,300 ts load)
Length	480.5 ft (146.5 m) (overall) 441.27 ft (134.50 m) (hull) 432.74 ft (131.90 m) (length on deck) 389.1 ft (118.6 m) (btw. perpendiculars)
Beam	55.65 ft (16.96 m)
Height	211.6 ft (64.5 m) (keel to masthead truck) 167.3 ft (51.0 m) (deck to masthead truck)
Draft	27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Depth	36.42 ft (11.10 m) (depth moulded)
Depth of hold	31.18 ft (9.50 m)
Decks	3 continuous steel, poop, midship, and forecastle decks
Deck clearance	8.2 ft (2.5 m)
Propulsion	sail and auxiliary propulsion (2 Schneider diesel engines of 950 hp (710 kW), removed in 1919)
Sail plan	38 sails: 20 square sails, 12 staysails, 4 foresails, 2 spanker sails 68.350 square feet (6.350 m²) sail area
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	4 lifeboats
Complement	max. 45, since 1919: 50
Crew	captain, 2nd captain, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd mates, steward, 39/44 able seamen and shipboys (including sailmaker, cook etc.)
Armament	2 cannon (bow and stern) during WWI
Notes	lounge with piano, seven 1st class passenger cabins, library, darkroom, seawater therapy equipment