![]() 1/100th Model of the French paddle steamer corvette Sphinx. Made by the model workshop of the Musée de la Marine in 1962, on display at Toulon naval museum.
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History | |
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Name | Sphinx |
Namesake | Sphinx |
Builder | Rochefort, plans by Hubert |
Laid down | June 1828[1] |
Launched | 3 August 1829 |
Fate | Wrecked 6 July 1845 |
Notes | First naval steamer of France |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Sphinx class aviso |
Displacement | 913 tonnes |
Length | 48.20 metres (158.1 ft)[1] |
Beam | Hull: 8.16 metres (26.8 ft) Including paddles: 14 metres (46 ft) |
Draught | 3.00 metres (9.84 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 7 knots[2] |
Armament | 6 × 24-pounder carronades + 2 to 4 × 160 mm howitzers |
Armour | Timber |
Sphinx was a paddle steamer, initially rated as a corvette, of the French Navy, and lead ship of her class. She was the first operational French naval steamer. She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, pioneering the role of steamers in navies of the mid-19th century, and later took part in the transfer of the Luxor Obelisk from Egypt to Paris.