Suffren was a predreadnought battleship built for the Marine Nationale in the first decade of the twentieth century. Completed in 1902, the ship was assigned to the Escadre de la Méditerranée for most of her career and often served as a flagship. She had an eventful career as she twice collided with French ships and twice had propeller shafts break before the start of World War I in 1914. Suffren was assigned to join the naval operations off the Dardanelles, where she participated in a series of attacks on the Ottoman fortifications guarding the straits.