The Bourgogne was a 74-gun ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

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She was commissioned in 1772, and served in the squadron of the Mediterranean, with a refit in 1775, and another in 1778.

On 4 May 1779, off Gibraltar, she took part in a naval action with Victoire against the 32-gun frigates HMS Thetis and Montreal

HMS Montreal (1761)

HMS Montreal was a 32-gun Niger-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1761 and served in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence. The French captured her in 1779 and she then served with them under the name Montréal...

. Montreal was captured, while Thetis managed to escape.

She took part in the American war of Independence, notably fighting gallantly at the Battle of the Saintes

Battle of the Saintes

The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...

, where she collided with Duc de Bourgogne

French ship Duc de Bourgogne (1752)

The Duc de Bourgogne was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was refitted twice, in and 1761 and 1779, having har hull copered....

She was wrecked on 4 February 1783 off Curaçao with the loss of 80.