They were intended for use overseas in the French colonial empire, and as such, they retained a sailing rig for long-range cruising and copper sheathing for their hulls to protect them when they would be unable to be dry-docked regularly.

They carried a main battery of four 240 mm (9.4 in) guns that were mounted in individual barbettes; two were in sponsons forward, abreast of the conning tower, and the other two were on the centerline aft.

They were laid up after 1895, and Duguesclin saw no further active service, being struck from the naval register in 1904 and sold to ship breakers the following year.

Vauban was recommissioned in 1898 for a tour in French Indochina, briefly serving as a divisional flagship, before being stationed in Saigon from 1899 to 1905.

After being struck from the register that year, she served as a depot ship, first for torpedo boats and then for submarines from 1905 to 1914, before ultimately being sold in 1919.

[1] The Vauban design, which had been prepared by Victorin Sabattier and Alfred Lebelin de Dionne, differed from the Bayards in several significant respects.

First, the designers abandoned the traditional wooden hull in favor of composite iron-and-steel construction, which had been under evaluation for several years.

Lebelin de Dionne submitted the plans on 30 November 1876, and they were approved by Léon Martin Fourichon, the French Naval Minister, on 26 December.

Their hulls were constructed with iron and steel, sheathed in wood and were coppered to protect them from biofouling during extended periods abroad where dry dock facilities were less available.

As was typical for French capital ships of the period, their hulls featured a pronounced tumblehome shape and a ram bow.

In 1890, Vauban had a secondary conning position for an admiral and his staff installed, which received 25 mm (1 in) of iron plating on the sides.

[4] The two ships of the Vauban class served with the Mediterranean Squadron after entering service, though Duguesclin was initially placed in reserve between 1886 and 1888.

[15] In 1899, Vauban was recommissioned for another tour in French Indochina, where she briefly served as the flagship of one of the divisions in the Far East Squadron.