 Holding their promises, in the years 1889 to 1891, in the campaign of the "Dubourdieu," construction began in Cherbourg in 1880 on a new class of cruiser, which was active from 1884 to 1899.This cruiser marked a great progress in naval construction; indeed the rest of the 19th century sees grand transformations in the designs of ships.Progressively the propulsion by steam substitutes the use of the sail, putting in action first paddles and later (in this case) propellers.