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French ship Régulus (1805)
Encyclopedia
The Régulus was a Téméraire class
Téméraire class ship of the line
The Téméraire class ships of the line was a class of 107 74-gun ships of the line built between 1782 and 1813 for the French navy. The type was and remains the most numerous class of capital ship ever built....
74-gun ship of the line 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...
.
From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns.
During the Atlantic campaign of 1806
Atlantic campaign of 1806
The Atlantic campaign of 1806 was a complicated series of manoeuveres and counter-manoeuveres conducted by squadrons of the French Navy and the British Royal Navy across the Atlantic Ocean during the spring and summer of 1806, as part of the Napoleonic Wars...
, she was the flagship of L'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte was a French sea captain and rear admiral, notable for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and various other campaigns.- Early career :L'Hermitte was born to the family of a...
's squadron (also comprising Président, Cybèle and Surveillant) during L'Hermite's expedition
L'Hermite's expedition
L'Hermite's expedition was a French naval operation launched in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. The operation was intended as both a commerce raiding operation against the British trading posts of West Africa and as a diversion to the Trafalgar campaign...
. She patrolled from the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. On 7 January 1806, she encountered a British convoy; in the ensuing battle, the French squadron captured the 16-gun sloop of war HMS Favourite
HMS Favourite (1794)
HMS Favourite was a 16-gun Cormorant-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe. The French captured her in 1806 and renamed her Favorite. However, the British recaptured her in 1807 and renamed her HMS Goree...
, along with about 20 merchantman, notably including the ships Otway and Plowers.
In 1808, Régulus was in station with the Brest squadron.
In 1809, she was transferred to Rochefort. She famously took part in the Battle of the Basque Roads
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
from 11 April 1809, under Captain Lucas
Jean Jacques Etienne Lucas
Jean Jacques Étienne Lucas was a French Navy officer, famous for his role in the Battle of Trafalgar.-Career:Born in Marennes, he joined the French Navy at the age of 15. From 1779 to 1782 he sailed on the Hermione...
, where she ran aground between Les Palles and Fouras. For 17 days, the stranded ship repelled assaults by the British, before refloating and returning to Rochefort on 29.
Régulus was scuttled by fire on 7 April 1814 near Meschers-sur-Gironde
Meschers-sur-Gironde
Meschers-sur-Gironde is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
to avoid capture by the British vessels HMS Egmont
HMS Egmont (1810)
HMS Egmont was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 7 March 1810 at Northfleet.She was converted to serve as a storeship in 1862, and was sold out of the Navy on 1875....
and HMS Centaur
HMS Centaur (1797)
HMS Centaur was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 March 1797 at Woolwich. She served as Sir Samuel Hood's flagship in the Leeward Islands and the Channel. During her 22-year career Centaur saw action in the Mediterranean, the Channel, the West Indies, and the Baltic, fighting...
..
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