a draft of . She displaced . She was fitted with a pair of pole masts equipped with fighting tops that carried some of her light guns and spotted for her main battery. The crew included 643–651 officers and enlisted men. Her propulsion machinery consisted of four compound steam engines that drove a pair of screw propellers. Steam was provided by eight coal-burning fire-tube boilers. Her engines were rated to produce for a top speed of . Her main armament consisted of four Modèle 1881, 28-caliber guns mounted in individual barbette mounts, one forward and one aft, both on the centerline, and two amidships in wing mounts. These guns were supported by a secondary battery of sixteen guns, all carried in individual pivot mounts in an unarmored gun battery in the hull, eight guns per broadside. For defense against torpedo boats, she carried an extensive battery of light guns, though the numbers vary between sources. Gardiner reports a range of three to six guns, nine to eighteen 3-pounder guns, eight to twelve 1-pounder five-barrel Hotchkiss revolving cannon, and three to five torpedo tubes in deck-mounted launchers; naval historian Eric Gille gives four to seven 65 mm guns, nine to twelve 47 mm guns, and eight 37 mm guns; naval historian Paul Silverstone says six 65 mm guns and twelve 47 mm guns. There is similar disagreement over the torpedo armament, with Gardiner providing three to five torpedo tubes, Gille reporting five to six tubes, and Silverstone stating five tubes. The ship was protected with a combination of mild steel and compound armor; her belt was thick and extended for the entire length of the hull. Horizontal protection consisted of an armor deck that was thick. The barbettes for the main battery were thick and the supporting tubes that connected them to their magazines were . The guns themselves were protected by gun shields. Her conning tower was thick. Service history Magenta was ordered in September 1880, and was laid down on 18 January 1883 at Toulon. She was launched on 19 April 1890 and installation of her propulsion system was completed by 5 June 1892. Magenta was commissioned on 1 July to begin sea trials. She was not fully manned until 1 January 1893, and she first went to sea in April. Her official acceptance trials were carried out between June and September. By the time she was completed, her