the Formosa expeditionary corps to a prolonged Keelung Campaign. From November 1884 to January 1885 Bayard took part in the French naval blockade of Formosa. On 14 November 1884, while anchored off Keelung and exposed to the northeast monsoon, she nearly foundered when her anchor chain snapped during a gale. In February 1885 five warships of China's Nanyang Fleet made a sortie from Shanghai in an attempt to break the French blockade of Formosa. Courbet sought them out with Bayard and several other ships of the Far East squadron, and trapped them in Shipu Bay. At the Battle of Shipu on the night of 14 February 1885, two of Bayards launches, used as improvised torpedo boats, attacked the Chinese squadron at anchor and disabled the frigate Yuyuan (馭遠) and the composite sloop Chengqing (澄慶). In early March 1885 Bayard took part in the French blockade of Zhenhai, the outport of Ningbo. In late March she formed part of the French flotilla for the Pescadores Campaign, and her landing company was engaged ashore on 31 March in the decisive battle with the Chinese defenders of Makung. Courbet died of cholera on board Bayard in the harbor of Makung, in the Pescadores Islands, on 11 June 1885. Bayard left the Pescadores on 23 June to return Courbet's body to France; by that time, her sister had arrived to relieve her as the squadron flagship. She passed through Aden on 2 August and reached the Suez Canal eight days later. Bayard thereafter stopped in Bône, French Algeria, where she remained until 22 August. She sailed for Toulon, arriving on 26 August, where a state funeral was held for Courbet. She then proceeded to Brest to be disarmed and decommissioned. Later career By 1888, Bayard had been assigned to the Reserve Division of the Mediterranean Squadron. She was activated on 23 August that year for the annual fleet maneuvers. She got underway two days later to join the rest of the fleet, which had assembled at Hyères by 30 August. The maneuvers ended on 4 September, with the fleet returning to Toulon by the 10th. Beginning in 1889, Bayard served in the (Eastern Mediterranean and Levant Squadron), where she operated through 1892. During this period, she regularly returned to French waters to participate in annual training exercises with the rest of the fleet. Bayard served in the 3rd Division of the Mediterranean Squadron in