The Hercule 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...

.

During her maiden journey, on 21 April 1798, and just 24 hours out of port, she was captured by the British ship HMS Mars

HMS Mars (1794)

HMS Mars was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 October 1794 at Deptford Dockyard.-Career:In the early part of the French Revolutionary Wars she was assigned to the Channel Fleet. In 1797 under Captain Alexander Hood she was prominent in the Spithead mutiny...

 after a violent fight, off Île de Sein

Île de Sein

The Île de Sein is a French island in the Atlantic Ocean, off Finistère, 8 kilometres from the Pointe du Raz , from which it is separated by the Raz de Sein. Its Breton name is Enez Sun...

 near Brest. Hercule attempted to escape through the Passage du Raz, but the tide was running in the wrong direction, and she was forced to anchor, giving the British the chance to attack at close quarters. The two ships were of equal force, both seventy-four

Seventy-four (ship)

The "seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. Originally developed by the French Navy in the mid-18th century, the design proved to be a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities, and was adopted by the British Royal Navy , as well as...

s, but Hercule was newly commissioned; after more than an hour and a half of bloody fighting at close quarters she struck her colours

Striking the colors

Striking the colors is the universally recognized indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea. Surrender is dated from the time the ensign is struck.-In international law:# "Colors. A national flag . The colors . ....

 at 10.30 pm, having lost - by her own officers' estimate - 290 men killed and wounded. On Mars 31 men were killed and 60 wounded. Both captains, Alexander Hood and Louis L’Héritier, died in the fight.

The Hercule was recommissioned in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 as HMS Hercule.

On 28 June 1803, HMS Hercule encountered the French frigate Poursuivante

French frigate Poursuivante (1798)

The Poursuivante was a Romaine class frigate of the French Navy.In June 1800, the Poursuivante took part in the battle of Dunkirk under commander Oreille. In 1802, she departed Flushing to ferry troops to Saint-Domingue, under capitaine de vaisseau Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez. She arrived as...

and the corvette Mignonne

French corvette Mignonne (1797)

Mignonne was a 16-gun corvette of the Etna class in the French Navy. She served until 1803 when the British captured her...

. The Hercule attempted to capture the Poursuivante, but the frigate out-manoeuvred her and she received raking fire

Raking fire

In naval warfare, raking fire is fire directed parallel to the long axis of an enemy ship. Although each shot is directed against a smaller target profile than by shooting broadside and thus more likely to miss the target ship to one side or the other, an individual cannon shot that hits will pass...

. The incident was immortalised in a painting by Louis-Philippe Crépin

Louis-Philippe Crépin

Louis-Philippe Crépin was a French naval painter, one of the first Peintres de la Marine.Crépin was notably a pupil of Joseph Vernet and Hubert Robert....

. then captured Mignonne.

External links

• Naval Database