The ships displaced 5,121 tonnes (5,040 long tons) and had a draught of 8.45 metres (27 ft 9 in) at deep load.

[1] The armament of the Ville de Nantes-class ships consisted of twenty-four 30-pounder (164.7 mm (6.5 in)) smoothbore cannon and ten 163 mm (6.4 in) rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns on the lower gundeck.

On the upper gundeck were twenty-four 30-pounder cannon and ten 223.3 mm (8.8 in) Paixhans guns.

[3] Ville de Nantes conducted trials in 1860 until, in December, she was used as a transport to ferry troops to Brest.

[2] After the Paris Commune, Ville de Nantes was used as a prison hulk in Cherbourg.