The Forbin class was a group of three protected cruisers built for the French Navy in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

The Forbin-class cruisers were intended to serve as flotilla leaders for the torpedo boats, and they were armed with a main battery of four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns.

Coëtlogon suffered from machinery problems that significantly delayed her completion, and after finally entering service in 1894, joined Surcouf in the Northern Squadron.

Surcouf was the only member of the class still in active service during World War I, and she was deployed later in the conflict to the Gulf of Guinea.

Beginning in 1879, the Conseil des Travaux (Council of Works) had requested designs for small but fast cruisers of about 2,000 long tons (2,032 t) displacement that could be used as scouts for the main battle fleet or to lead squadrons of torpedo boats.

[1][2] In the early 1880s, the Jeune École doctrine, which envisioned using a combination of cruisers and torpedo boats to defend France and attack enemy merchant shipping, became popular in French naval circles.

In early 1886, the Jeune École supporter Gabriel Charmes published his book La réforme de la Marine (The Reform of the Navy), in which he called for small commerce raiding cruisers armed with a pair of 138.6 mm (5.46 in) guns—sufficient for the task of sinking merchant vessels—and a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), which would allow them to escape any stronger vessel.

Admiral Théophile Aube, an ardent supporter of the Jeune École, had become the Naval Minister at the same time.

He requested on 1 February 1886 just such a vessel from Marie de Bussy, the Inspector General of Naval Engineering.

The following day, de Bussy submitted a set of specifications to meet Aube's requirements; these included a speed of at least 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph), a range of 2,400 nautical miles (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), two 138.6 mm guns, and a 40 mm (1.6 in) curved armor deck.

Over the following month, de Bussy prepared a more detailed design based on these specifications, which Aube approved on 20 March.

[5][6] The ship's propulsion system consisted of a pair of horizontal, 2-cylinder compound steam engines driving two screw propellers.

Above the deck, a layer of highly sub-divided watertight compartments was added to control flooding in the event of battle damage.

Forbin and Coëtlogon had their main mast removed, along with their pole bowsprit; their fore and mizzenmasts were moved closer together.

[5] In 1895, the navy ordered that the bow torpedo tubes be removed from all three ships, and the work was carried out the following year.

[9] At some point during their careers, Forbin and Surcouf had their boilers modified to accept mixed coal and oil fuel.

[6] In 1916, Surcouf, the sole remaining member of the class still in active service, received two 47 mm anti-aircraft guns on her forward upper deck.

The new engines also had problems, including severe vibration,[6][10][11] and Coëtlogon was finally able to complete her trials and enter fleet service in 1895.

Surcouf was assigned to the Northern Squadron in the English Channel; Coëtlogon joined her there after finally entering service in 1895.

During this period, the ships were primarily occupied with training exercises; during one set of maneuvers in 1894, Forbin had to tow a torpedo boat back to port after it was damaged in a collision with another vessel.