maximum rate of fire was four rounds per minute. The ship carried 2,000 shells for these guns. For defence against torpedo boats, Suffren mounted twenty-two 50-calibre Canon de Modèle 1885 Hotchkiss guns. They were positioned in the fighting tops and on the superstructure. They fired a projectile at to a maximum range of . Their theoretical maximum rate of fire was fifteen rounds per minute, but only seven rounds per minute sustained. Suffren carried 16,500 rounds for these guns. Two Modèle 1885 Hotchkiss guns were also mounted on the upper bridge. The ship was equipped with four torpedo tubes on the broadside. Two of these were submerged, abaft the forward turret, and fixed at a 30° angle to the side. The two above-water tubes could traverse 80°. Normally Suffren carried twelve Modèle 1892 torpedoes, of which four were training models. Armour Suffren had a complete waterline armour belt of Harvey armour that had a maximum thickness of amidships and reduced to at the bow and at the stern. The lower edge of this belt was in thickness amidships and thinned to at the bow and at the stern. The armour plates were high of which was above the waterline and below it. Above this was a strake of special-steel armour that extended from the bow to the aft transverse bulkhead below the aft main-gun turret. In thickness it ranged from at the bow to amidships. This armour was backed by a highly subdivided cofferdam intended to reduce flooding from any penetrating hits as its compartments were filled by water-resistant "bricks" of dried Zostera seaweed (). The outer sides of the casemates were protected by special-steel plates 110 millimetres thick. The casemates were separated by an transverse bulkhead and a centreline bulkhead thick subdivided the casemates. The main turret armour was in thickness with a 50-millimetre roof and the barbettes were protected by of armour. The armour for the secondary turrets ranged from thick at the front to at the rear. The conning tower had walls thick and its communications tube was protected by of armour. The armoured deck consisted of mild-steel plates laid over two plates. The splinter deck beneath it comprised two layers of plates. Construction and career Prewar Suffren, named after Pierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez, was ordered on 21 April 1898 from the Arsenal de Brest. She was laid down on 5 January 1899 and launched