French ironclad floating battery Saigon

History
France
NameSaigon
NamesakeSaigon
Ordered18 July 1859
BuilderArman Brothers
Laid down20 July 1859
Launched24 June 1861
CompletedNovember 1862
ReclassifiedAs an embarkation hulk, 1871
Stricken21 August 1871
FateScrapped, 1884
General characteristics (as built)
Class & typePalestro-class ironclad floating battery
Displacement1,563 t (1,538 long tons)
Length47.5 m (155 ft 10 in)
Beam14.04 m (46 ft 1 in)
Draft3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Installed power580 ihp (430 kW)
Propulsion2 propellers, 2 steam engines
Sail planSchooner
Speed7–7.5 knots (13.0–13.9 km/h; 8.1–8.6 mph)
Complement212
Armament12 × 164.7 mm (6.48 in) Mle 1860 30 pdr guns
Armor

Saigon was a Palestro-class ironclad floating battery built for the French Navy after the Crimean War of 1854–1855. Completed in 1862, she was placed in reserve shortly afterward. The ship caught fire and sank in 1863, but was salvaged and repaired. Saigon was briefly commissioned during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 before she was hulked in 1871.