[1] Like the older ship, they were intended to fill the commerce-raiding strategy of the Jeune École.

[2] The Gueydon class had three vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft.

Steam for the engines was provided by 20 or 28 boilers and they were rated at a total of 19,600–22,000 indicated horsepower (14,600–16,400 kW) that gave them a speed of 21–22 knots (39–41 km/h; 24–25 mph).

[1][2] The Harvey armor belt of the Gueydon-class cruisers extended from 1.3 meters (4 ft 5 in) below the waterline to the main deck.

It reached the upper deck for a length of 43.0 meters (141 ft) from the bow and covered the entire length of the ship except for 4.0 meters (13 ft) of the stern where it ended in a transverse bulkhead 84–41 millimeters (3.3–1.6 in) thick.