Bronenosnyi flot obraztsov. Frantsuzskie bronenostsy Sharl' Martel', Karno, Zhoregiberri, Buve i Massena - Iakimovich D.B.

Admirals of armoured fleets did not need any additional arguments in favor of the creation of squadrons of the same type of ships. In terms of supply, maintenance, crew training, joint maneuvering, such a squadron would give a hefty head start to any heterogeneous. However, in an era of such rapid development of military equipment as it was at the end of the 19th century, this was possible only with the relatively simultaneous laying and the simultaneous construction of a large series of similar ships. To take such a step in a situation where views on the future of the armadilloship regularly changed, it was risky - it was possible to get a whole squadron of ships of unsuccessfully chosen type. However, in the early 1890s. the French agreed that five ships should be built on one technical mission, but instead of choosing one of the projects submitted, they preferred to lay five armadillos on five different projects. The result was immediately nicknamed Flotte d'Chantillons, literally "fleet of specimens." The history of these five ships, though having similar characteristics, but in fact had much more differences than similar ities, and tells this work.