List of ships of the line of France
Encyclopedia
This is a list of French battlefleet warships of the period 1640-1861:
Sections stating the ruler in power are provided as chronological references.
Louis XIII
(note the first seven years of this reign were under the Regency of Marie de Medici, the consort of Henri IV
)
Louis XIV
The first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Anne of Austria
, the consort of Louis XIII, while French politics were dominated by Cardinal Mazarin, who served as Chief Minister from 1642, and Louis XIV did not achieve personal rule until the death of Mazarin in March 1661.
The French rating system was initially created in 1669; earlier vessels are shown under the rating they were given in 1669. Under this system, French major warships were divided into five ranks or "Rangs"; light frigates (frégates légères) were excluded from the rating system.
The rating system was thoroughly reformed under Colbert
's administration two years later, in June 1671, and numerous French warships were renamed at that date; vessels are listed below under their original name at time of launching, even if they subsequently were better known by the name they were given later.
Louis XV
(note the first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Philip of Orléans
, the nephew of Louis XIV)
Artésien class of five ships to design by Joseph-Louis Ollivier
Three French East India Company ships were purchased by the Navy in April 1770
Two further ships were built at Brest in the early 1770s
Finally, two 64-gun ships were begun under Louis XV, but were not launched until some years later.
Bordelais class: group of four ships designed by Antoine Groignard and built at Bordeaux by Léon-Michel Guignace
Louis XVI
s, although this armament varied from time to time.
Dauphin Royal class
(often called "États de Bourgogne class" or "Océan class") - Three-deckers of 118 guns (usually called 120-gun), designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
. Each carried 32 x 36pdr guns on the lower deck, 34 x 24pdr guns on the middle deck, 34 x 12pdr guns on the upper deck, and 18 x 8pdr guns on the gaillard
s.
Tonnant class
(1787 onwards) - Following his standard design for 74-gun ships (see Téméraire class above), Jacques-Noël Sané
then produced a standard design for an 80-gun ship, to which 8 ships were built
Scipion class
(1778 onwards) - Designed by Francois-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers
Annibal class (1778 onwards) - Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
Magnanime class (1779 onwards) - Designed by Jean-Denis Chevillard
Argonaute class (1781) - Designed by François-Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers
Pégase class (1781 onwards) - Designed by Antoine Groignard
Centaure class
(1782 onwards) - Designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise, all built at Toulon
Téméraire class
(1782 onwards) - numerically the largest class of battleships ever built to a single design. Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
, 97 vessels, each of 74 guns, were laid down between 1782 and 1813.
The first 31 of these, launched before the execution of Louis XVI:-
First Republic
The Republic was proclaimed on 21 September 1792 (although Louis XVI was not executed until 21 January 1793). The period was divided into the Convention (until 26 October 1795, during which effective power was exercised by the Committee of Public Safety
), the Directory until 9 November 1799 (the Directorate was a "Cabinet" of five members),and finally the Consulate until the proclamation of the Empire on 18 May 1804.
(continued)
(continued)
Cassard class
This design by Jacques-Noël Sané was enlarged from the Téméraire Class in order to mount an upper deck battery of 24pdrs compared with the 18pdrs of the earlier class.
First Empire
Napoléon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor on 18 May 1804 and ruled until he abdicated on 6 April 1814. The Empire was restored during the Hundred Days
from 20 March to 22 June 1815; this section of the article includes all ships of the line launched from May 1804 to June 1815.
class, design by Jacques-Noël Sané
, shortened from his 118-gun design by removing one pair of guns from each deck.
80-gun ships designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
, a modification of the 8-ship Tonnant class listed above. 21 ships were launched to this design, of which 16 were afloat by the end of 1814
Pluton class - A revised design for Téméraire class
, by Jacques-Noël Sané
, described officially as "the small model" specially introduced to be constructed at shipyards outside France itself (the first pair were built at Toulon) where they lacked the depth of water required to launch 74s of the Téméraire Class.
Four further ships begun at Venice to this design were never launched - Montenotte, Arcole, Lombardo and Semmering; all were broken up on the stocks by the Austrian occupiers.
Louis XVIII
Charles X
, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades.
Suffren
class
Hercule
class
Second Republic (1848 to 1852) and Second Empire
.jpg)
Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte) became President in December 1848 following the abdication on February 1848 of Louis-Philippe; he subsequently became Emperor Napoléon III on 2 December 1852 and ruled until he was deposed and the Third Republic was proclaimed on 4 September 1870.
Later units of the 118-gun type, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades (see above).
Sections stating the ruler in power are provided as chronological references.
Louis XIIILouis XIII of FranceLouis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
(1610 to 1643)
(note the first seven years of this reign were under the Regency of Marie de Medici, the consort of Henri IVHenry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
)
Ships
- La Vierge 48 (purchased) - Captured by the Rochellais, blew up at Ile de Ré ~1625
- Navire-du-Roi 52 (extant 1636)
- Couronne 72 (launched ~1638)
Louis XIVLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
(1643 to 1715)
The first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Anne of AustriaAnne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, the consort of Louis XIII, while French politics were dominated by Cardinal Mazarin, who served as Chief Minister from 1642, and Louis XIV did not achieve personal rule until the death of Mazarin in March 1661.
The French rating system was initially created in 1669; earlier vessels are shown under the rating they were given in 1669. Under this system, French major warships were divided into five ranks or "Rangs"; light frigates (frégates légères) were excluded from the rating system.
The rating system was thoroughly reformed under Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
's administration two years later, in June 1671, and numerous French warships were renamed at that date; vessels are listed below under their original name at time of launching, even if they subsequently were better known by the name they were given later.
First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")
- Saint Philippe 78 (launched 3 February 1663 at Toulon) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Royal LouisFrench ship Royal Louis (1668)The Royal Louis was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was constructed at Toulon between 1666 and 1670 under the direction of Rodolphe Gédéon and served as flagship of the French fleet in the Mediterranean...
120, later 104 (launched 1 February 1668 at Toulon) - renamed Royal Louis Vieux 1692 and broken up 1697 - Dauphin RoyalFrench ship Dauphin Royal (1668)Dauphin Royal was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.She took part in the Battle of Beachy Head under admiral Tourville.She was decommissioned in 1698 or 1699, and broken up in 1700.- Sources and references :*...
100 (launched 29 March 1668 at Toulon) - broken up 1697 - Monarque 84 (launched 28 April 1668 at Toulon) - broken up 1700
- Royal Duc 104 (launched December 1668 at Brest) - renamed La Reine in June 1671 and broken up 1688
- Ile de France 74/80 (launched 16 February 1669 at Toulon) - renamed Lis in June 1671 and broken up 1691
- Couronne 80/82 (launched 18 February 1669 at Brest) - broken up in 1712
- Paris 72/80 (launched March 1669 at Toulon) - renamed Royale Thérèse in June 1671 and broken up in 1692
- Henri 80 (launched 1669 at Tonnay-Charente) - renamed Souverain 1671, then renamed Admirable in June 1678
- Soleil RoyalFrench ship Soleil-Royal (1670)Soleil Royal was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Tourville.She was built in Brest between 1668 and 1670 by engineer Laurent Hubac, was launched in 1669, and stayed unused in Brest harbour for years...
120 (launched 13 December 1669 at Brest) - burnt by the English in an action at CherbourgAction at Cherbourg (1692)The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style (1st and 2 June (New Style) 1692 as part of the aftermath of the Battle of Barfleur (19 May (OS)1692)...
in June 1692 - Sceptre 80 (launched 11 February 1670 at Toulon) - broken up 1692
- Magnanime 76/80 (launched August 1673 at Marseille) - driven ashore and burnt in the Battle of MarbellaBattle of Cabrita pointThe Battle of Cabrita Point, usually referred to as the Battle of Marbella, was a naval battle that took place while a combined Spanish-French force besieged Gibraltar on 10 March 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession.The battle was an allied victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish...
in March 1705 - Victorieux 108 (launched in late 1675 at Rochefort) - broken up 1685 (badly built)
- Admirable 80/84 (launched 1678 at Brest) - renamed Souverain in June 1678 and broken up 1706
- Grand 84/88 (launched October 1680 at Rochefort) - broken up 1716 or 1717
- Magnifique 84 (launched 12 April 1680 at Toulon) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Conquérant 84 (launched 10 August 1688 at Toulon) - rebuilt 1707
- Intrépide 84 (launched March 1690 at Rochefort) - broken up 1724
- Saint Esprit 90/94 (launched 24 May 1690 at Brest) - renamed Monarque in June 1690, and broken up 1717
- Victorieux 88/94 (launched January 1691 at Rochefort) - broken up 1719
- Foudroyant 84/90 (launched 1691 at Brest) - burnt by the English in the Battle of la HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Orgueilleux 90/94 (launched 29 March 1691 at Lorient) - broken up 1716-17
- Admirable 94 (launched 10 September 1691 at Lorient) - burnt by the English in an action at CherbourgAction at Cherbourg (1692)The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style (1st and 2 June (New Style) 1692 as part of the aftermath of the Battle of Barfleur (19 May (OS)1692)...
in June 1692 - Sceptre 84/88 (launched 10 November 1691 at Toulon) - broken up 1718
- Merveilleux 92/96 (launched 19 November 1691 at Brest) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Fulminant 98/96 (launched December 1691 at Rochefort) - broken up 1719
- Ambitieux 96 (launched December 1691 at Rochefort) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Formidable 96/94 (launched 4 December 1691 at Brest) - broken up 1714
- Lis or Lys 84/88 (launched 17 December 1691 at Toulon - driven ashore and burnt in the Battle of MarbellaBattle of Cabrita pointThe Battle of Cabrita Point, usually referred to as the Battle of Marbella, was a naval battle that took place while a combined Spanish-French force besieged Gibraltar on 10 March 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession.The battle was an allied victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish...
in March 1705 - Vainqueur 84 (launched 24 February 1692 at Lorient) - broken up 1722
- Royal LouisFrench ship Royal Louis (1692)The Royal Louis was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy....
112/110 (launched 22 September 1692 at Toulon) - broken up 1727 - Merveilleux 100/98 (launched 22 November 1692 at Brest) - broken up 1712
- Foudroyant 104 (launched 24 November 1692 at Brest) - exchanged names with Soleil Royal in March 1693 (see below), broken up 1714
- Magnifique 86/88 (launched 23 November 1692 at Rochefort) - broken up 1716 or 1717
- Ambitieux 92/96 (launched 5 December 1692 at Rochefort) - broken up 1713
- Admirable 96/90 (launched 23 December 1692 at Lorient) - broken up 1716 or 1717
- Terrible 100/104 (launched 21 February 1693 at Brest) - broken up 1714
- Tonnant 90 (launched September 1693 at Toulon) - sold to be broken up 1710
- Saint Philippe 90/92 (launched October 1693 at Toulon) - broken up 1714
- Triomphant 94/98 (launched 1 October 1693 at Lorient) - broken up 1725 or 1726
- Soleil RoyalFrench ship Soleil-Royal (1692)The Soleil Royal was a French ship of the line.She was built in 1692 in Brest by Blaise Pangalo as Foudroyant ....
104 (launched 14 November 1693 at Brest) - exchanged names with Foudroyant in March 1693 (before her launch), and broken up 1714 - Fier 90/94 (launched 1694 at Rochefort) - broken up 1713
Second Rates ("vaisseaux de Deuxième Rang")
- Rubis 60/64 (launched November 1664 at Brest) - captured by English 1666, becoming French Ruby; broken up 1685
- Bourbon 66 (launched 22 November 1665 at SoubiseSoubise, Charente-MaritimeSoubise is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is situated on the left bank of the Charente River opposite Rochefort and is a former shipbuilding centre.-Population:-References:*...
) - renamed Eclatant (64 guns) in June 1671; deleted 1684 - Prince 64/66 (launched April 1666 at Brest) - renamed Sans Pareil in June 1671; wrecked 1679
- Frederic 70/80 (launched early 1666 at Copenhagen - built by contract) - renamed Admirable in June 1671, broken up 1677
- Conquérant 66/72 (launched November 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - wrecked 1679
- Courtisan 64/72 (launched December 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - renamed Magnifique in June 1671; hulkHulk (ship)A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
ed 1684 and broken up around 1693 - Intrépide 66/76 (launched December 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - renamed Grand in June 1671; broken up 1678
- Invincible 64/74 (launched December 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - deleted about 1680
- Neptune 64/74 (launched December 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - renamed Illustre in June 1671; broken up 1698
- Normand 66/72 (launched December 1666 at Amsterdam - built by contract) - renamed Saint Louis in June 1671; broken up 1680
- Princesse 64 (launched early March 1667 at SoubiseSoubiseSoubise can refer to:* Soubise sauce, a béchamel-based sauce containing strained or puréed onions* Soubise, a commune of the Charente-Maritime département, in France* Benjamin de Rohan, duc de Soubise , Huguenot leader...
) - renamed Triomphant in June 1671, then Constant in June 1678; hulked as Vieux Constant 1690, deleted by 1704 - Charente 60/66 (launched February 1669 at Rochefort) - renamed Belliqueux in June 1671, then Courtisan in June 1678 (although latter change never took effect); wrecked 1678
- Français 62/66 (launched 25 October 1669 at Brest) - renamed Glorieux in June 1671; burnt in action 1677
- Fort 68/70 (launched 11 April 1669 at Rochefort) - renamed Foudroyant in June 1671, broken up 1690
- Madame 72/76 (launched 28 February 1670 at Touloin) - renamed Pompeux in June 1671; hulked 1696, sold 1709
- Royale Thérèse 70/76 (launched 4 March 1670 at Toulon) - renamed Saint Esprit in June 1671; condemned 1689 and sold 1692
- Terrible 68/70 (launched 19 September 1670 at Brest) - wrecked 1678
- Tonnant 64/66 (launched 19 September 1670 at Brest) - wrecked 1678
- Joli 70/80 (launched 2 October 1670 at Toulon) - renamed Henri in June 1671; deleted 1686, sold 1687
- Rubis 72/76 (launched 15 October 1670 at Toulon) - renamed Florissant in June 1671; hulked 1696, broken up after 1700
- Vermandois 70/76 (launched June 1671 at Rochefort) - renamed Superbe in June 1671, broken up 1687
- Parfait 60/64 (launched 20 July 1671) - reclassed as 3rd Rate, condemned 1699
- Orgueilleux 70/76 (launched early 1672 at Rochefort) - broken up 1688
- Saint Michel 60/64 (launched August 1673 at Marseille) - broken up 1687
- Brave 74/76 (launched 20 June 1675 at Brest) - renamed Constant in June 1675, then Triomphant in June 1678; burnt by the English in an action at CherbourgAction at Cherbourg (1692)The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style The action at Cherbourg was fought on 21 and 22 May Old Style (1st and 2 June (New Style) 1692 as part of the aftermath of the Battle of Barfleur (19 May (OS)1692)...
in June 1692 - Courtisan 72/76 (launched 1676 at Brest) - renamed Belliqueux in June 1678; broken up 1708
- Glorieux 62/66 (launched early 1679 at Brest) - broken up 1719
- Terrible 76 (launched 1680 at Brest) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Ardent 64/66 (launched 1680 at Le Havre) - Captured by the Dutch in the Battle of MarbellaBattle of Cabrita pointThe Battle of Cabrita Point, usually referred to as the Battle of Marbella, was a naval battle that took place while a combined Spanish-French force besieged Gibraltar on 10 March 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession.The battle was an allied victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish...
in March 1705 - Tonnant 76 (launched August 1681 at Brest) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Fier 76 (launched 1682 at Brest) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Bourbon 64 (launched 1683 at Rochefortt) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Courtisan 64/66 (launched October 1686 at Rochefort) - Burnt by accident 1702
- Content 64/66 (launched 23 December 1686 at Toulon) - captured by the English 1695
- Serieux 64; later 58 (launched 11 January 1687 at Toulon) - renamed Croissant 1688, then reverted to Serieux 1689; broken up 1718
- Eclatant 68/70 (launched 28 June 1688 at Toulon) - lost 1713
- Henri 68 (launched 13 August 1688 at Dunkirk) - burnt 1736
- Brillant 64/66 (launched January 1690 at Le Havre) - reclassed as 3rd Rang 1707; condemned 1719-22
- Aimable 64/68 (launched March 1690 at Rochefort) - burnt by accident 1715
- Superbe 70 (launched 1690 at Toulon) - captured and wrecked in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Invincible 70 (launched 1690 at Toulon) - condemned 1727 and broken up 1748
- Heureux 68/70 (launched November 1690 at Toulon) - captured by the English 1710
- Constant 68/70 (launched 28 November 1690 at Toulon) - deleted 1714
- Gaillard 66 (launched December 1690 at Le Havre) - burnt by the English in the Battle of La HogueAction at La Hogue (1692)The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19 May Old Style , 1692...
in June 1692 - Laurier 60 (launched December 1690 at Bayonne) - burnt 1705
- Sirène 60 (launched 1691 at Bayonne) - captured and wrecked in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Saint Esprit 74/76 (launched early 1691 at Rochefort) - broken up after 1718
- Ecueil 66/68 (launched March 1691 at Dunkirk) - deleted 1709
- Juste 62/66 (launched 20 December 1691 at Le Havre) - broken up 1719
- Bizarre 68 (launched Autumn 1692 at Bayonne) - broken up 1727
- Bourbon 68 (launched 1692 at Toulon) - captured by the Dutch in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Saint Louis 64/66; later 58/60 (launched 10 December 1692 at Le Havre) - sold 1712
- Prompt 70/76 (launched 1692 at Dunkirk) - captured by the English in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Fort 70 (launched 1693 at Rochefort) - burnt in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Éole 62/64 (launched 23 February 1693 at Le Havre) - sold 1710
- Content 60/64, later 54 (launched September 1695 at Toulon) - sold 1712
- Ferme 66/70 (launched 1700 at Rochefort) - captured by the English in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Parfait 72/76 (launched 14 March 1701 at Toulon) - sold 1726
- Toulouse 62 (launched 8 December 1703 at Toulon) - reclassified as 3rd rate 1707, captured by the British 1711
- Oriflamme 60/62 (launched 15 January 1704 at Toulon) - reclassified as 3rd rate 1709, broken up 1727
- Neptune 72 (launched 27 August 1704 at Toulon) - wrecked 1713
- Saint Michel 70/74 (launched 1 February 1706 at Lorient) - broken up 1719
- Lis or Lys 72 (launched June 1706 at Brest) - broken up 1747
- Magnanime 72 (launched 6 October 1706 at Brest) - wrecked 1712
- Pompeux 72 (launched August 1707 at Rochefort) - broken up 1719
- Conquérant (launched February 1712 at Toulon) - broken up 1743
Third Rates ("vaisseaux de Troisième Rang")
- Royale 56/58 (launched 1661 at Brest) - renamed Ferme 1671, condemned 1676
- Chalain or Grand Chalain 42/48 (seized 1661, built 1660 at ConcarneauConcarneauConcarneau is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.The town has two distinct areas: the modern town on the mainland and the medieval Ville Close, a walled town on a long island in the centre of the harbour. Historically, the old town was a centre of shipbuilding...
) - renamed Triomphe 1662, then Courageux in June 1671; condemned 1672 and broken up - Dauphin 52/54 (launched 1664 at Toulon) - renamed Vermandois 1671, then Vigilant 1678; condemned 1699 and broken up 1700
- Diamant 60 (launched 1664 at Brest) - broken up 1685
- ThereseFrench ship Thérèse (1665)Thérèse was a 58-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was built in Toulon between 1662 and 1665, and was classed as a vaisseau de troisième rang . She was part of a French relief effort to Candia during a siege by the Ottomans and was sunk on 24 June 1669 after an explosion in her powder...
58 (launched 1665 at Toulon) - blew up in action 1669 - Brave 50/54 (launched March 1670 at Rochefort) - renamed Prince in June 1671; wrecked in May 1678
- Louvre 50 (launched 29 April 1670 at Brest) - renamed Bourbon in June 1671; wrecked in May 1678
- Oriflamme 50 (launched 1 November 1670 at Brest - wrecked February 1691
- Navarrais 56 (launched 22 November 1670 at Rochefort) - renamed Excellent in June 1671; deleted 1676 or 1677
- Arrogant 58 (launched 1682 at Le Havre) - captured by the English in the Battle of MarbellaBattle of Cabrita pointThe Battle of Cabrita Point, usually referred to as the Battle of Marbella, was a naval battle that took place while a combined Spanish-French force besieged Gibraltar on 10 March 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession.The battle was an allied victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish...
in March 1705 - Marquis 56/60 (launched 1685 at Toulon) - captured by the Dutch in the Battle of MarbellaBattle of Cabrita pointThe Battle of Cabrita Point, usually referred to as the Battle of Marbella, was a naval battle that took place while a combined Spanish-French force besieged Gibraltar on 10 March 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession.The battle was an allied victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish...
in March 1705 - Modéré 52/56 (launched 1685 at Dunkirk) - captured by the English in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Maure 50/54 (launched 1688 at Toulon) - captured by the British in 1710, renamed Moor
- Fortuné 54/58 (launched July 1689 at Toulon) - Burnt August 1707
- Fleuron 56/58 (launched July 1689 at Toulon) - Scuttled July 1707
- Perle 50/52 (launched December 1690 at Dunkirk) - Lost 1709
- Entendu 58/60 (launched 1691 at Dunkirk) - deleted 1701
- Capable 58/60 (launched 1692 at Dunkirk) - broken up 1706
- Indien 56 (launched 22 October 1692 at Lorient) - lost 1699
- Bon 56 (launched 17 August 1693 at Brest) - deleted 1703
- Gaillard 50-56 (launched 1693 at Bayonne) - captured by the British in 1710
- Fougueux 50-56 (launched 1695 at Brest) - captured by the English in 1696, sank 1696
- Téméraire 50-56 (launched 1695 at Brest) - broken up 1723
- Trident 56/60 (launched 1695 at Toulon) - broken up 1720
- Solide 50 (launched 1695 at Brest) - burnt in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Mercure 52-60 (launched 1696 at Brest) - captured by the English in 1746
- Assuré 60 (launched 1697 at Toulon) - captured by the English in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 and added to the RN as HMS Assurance 70, BU 1712 - Prudent 60 (launched 1697 at Toulon) - burnt in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Hasardeux 50 (launched 1699 at Lorient) - captured by the English in 1703 and added to the RN as HMS Hazardous
- Oriflamme 64 (launched 1699 at Toulon) - burnt in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Amphitrite 50/52; later 46/48 (launched October 1700 at Dunkirk) - renamed Protée in March 1705; deleted 1722
- Triton 50-52 (launched 1703 at Bayonne) - deleted 1720
- Jason 54-58 (launched 2 May 1704 at Brest) - deleted 1720
- Auguste 54-58 (launched 3 May 1704 at Brest) - captured by the English in August 1705 and added to the RN as HMS August.
- Achille 62-64 (launched 23 February 1705 at Brest) - broken up 1744
- Hercule 56-60 (launched 22 June 1705 at Lorient) - broken up 1746
- Mars 54 (launched December 1705 at Lorient) - broken up 1720
- Dauphine 60 (launched 23 March 1706 at Le Havre) - broken up 1719
- Bourbon 54 (launched 26 June 1706 at Lorient) - captured by Dutch privateers in March 1707 and renamed Gekronde Burg.
- Superbe 56 (launched 12 December 1708 at Lorient) - Captured by the British in 1710 and added to the RN as HMS Superb 64, BU 1732
Fourth Rates ("vaisseaux de Quatrième Rang")
From 1671, the French Quatrième Rang consisted of vessels with two complete batteries ("two-deckers") armed with between 36 and 46 guns; in 1683 this was abbreviated to include only two-decked ships with between 40 and 46 guns.- Infante 36 (launched June 1661 at Brest) - renamed Ecueil in June 1671; wrecked 1673
- Jules 38 (launched July 1661 at Toulon) - renamed Indien in June 1671; wrecked 1673
- Beaufort 36-38 (launched 15 May 1662 at Toulon) - renamed Neptune in June 1671, then Maure in January 1679; condemned 1686
- Mercoeur 36 (launched July 1662 at Toulon) - renamed Trident in June 1671; condemned 1686
- Duc 42-46 (launched 1665 at Brest) - renamed Comte in June 1671; wrecked 1676
- Sirène 44-46 (launched June 1666 at Toulon) - wrecked 1684
- Cheval Marin 44-46 (launched June 1666 at Toulon) - broken up 1729
- Ecueil 40-44 (launched 2 November 1678 at Le Havre) - sold 1689
- Leger 40 (launched 3 November 1679 at Le Havre) - scondemned 1695
- Solide 44 (launched 6 November 1683 at Dunkirk) - wrecked 1694
- Emporte 44 (launched 20 November 1683 at Dunkirk) - condemned 1705 and abandoned
- Gaillard 44-48 (launched 17 November 1684 at Le Havre) - sold 1689
- François 48-52 (launched 20 October 1687 at Le Havre) - broken up 1736
- Trident 50 (launched 22 June 1688 at Toulon) - captured by the English in 1695, added to the RN under the same name
- Alcyon 40 (launched July 1689 at Dunkirk) - broken up 1718
- Adroit 44 (launched 20 January 1691 at Le Havre) - sunk 1703
- Opiniatre 40 (launched July 1691 at Rochefort) - deleted 1699
- Poli 40 (later 36) (launched August 1691 at Rochefort) - broken up 1717
- Mutine 40 (launched 28 May 1695 at Brest) - deleted 1708
- Volontaire 44 (launched late August 1695 at Toulon) - reduced to 36 guns in 1701; captured and wrecked in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Amphitrite 42/44 (launched 1696 at Rochefort) - burnt by accident 1713
- Avenant 42 (launched September 1696 at Brest) - burnt by accident 1704
- Dauphine 40/42 (launched 9 January 1697 at Le Havre) - burnt in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Triton 44 (launched January 1697 at Brest) - captured by the English in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - Thetis 44 (launched 1697 at Rochefort) - captured by the English 1705
- Renommée 44-48 (launched early 1698 at Bayonne) - deleted 1723
- Maurepas 46 (begun as Hazardeux but renamed June 1698; launched October 1698 at Lorient) - given to the Compagnie des IndesFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
1698, recovered 1703 but transferred again 1705 - Adélaïde 44 (launched 10 January 1699 at Toulon) - wrecked 1714
- Dryade 44-46 (launched 21 October 1702 at Le Havre) - captured by the British 1709
- Parfaite 40 (launched 29 September 1704 at Toulon) - sunk 1703
- Griffon 44-50 (launched 10 January 1705 at Lorient) - captured by the British in 1712, but returned; broken up 1748
- Thetis 44-50 (launched 20 June 1705 at Brest) - captured by the British in 1707
- Atalante 40-44 (launched February 1707 at Le Havre) - condemned 1729-33
- Diane 42-44 (launched February 1707 at Le Havre) - deleted 1711
- Amazone 40-42 (launched 16 April 1707 at Brest) - hulked 1741, broken up 1748
- Gloire 38 (launched 18 April 1707 at Lorient) - captured by the British in 1709, became HMS Sweepstakes; broken up 1716
- Argonaute 42-50 (launched 14 November 1708 at Brest) - hulked 1720, broken up 1746
Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies
- ? (ex-Spanish galleon, captured 1639)
- ? (ex-Spanish galleon, captured 1640)
- ? (ex-Spanish vice-admirals galleon, captured 1643 (Battle of Cape Gata))
- ? (ex-Spanish galleon, captured 1643 (Battle of Cape Gata))
- ? (ex-Algerine, captured 1665, ex-Dutch Giardino d'Olanda (Hollandsche Tuyn) 40)
- Saint Cosme 50/52, 3rd Rang (ex-Spanish San Cosimo, captured 1672) - Broken up 1677
- Saint Pierre 50/52, 3rd Rang (ex-Spanish San Pedro, captured 1674) - Sold 1681
- Defenseur 54, 3rd Rang (ex-Dutch Beschermer, captured 1677) - Wrecked 1678
- ? 50 (ex-English, captured 1691)
- ? 50 (ex-English, captured 1691)
- ? 40 (ex-English, captured 1691)
- ? 40 (ex-Dutch, captured 1691)
- ? 54 (ex-Dutch, captured by Maure & Modéré 1692)
- ? 48 (ex-Dutch, captured by Maure & Modéré 1692)
- ? 62 (ex-Spanish galleon, captured 1692)
- ? 64 (ex-Dutch, captured 1693)
- ? 64 (ex-Dutch, captured 1693)
- ? 50 (ex-English, captured 1694) (same as next?)
- Espérance d'AngleterreHMS Hope (1678)HMS Hope was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1678.Hope was captured in 1695....
70, 2nd Rang (ex-English Hope, captured 1695) - Recaptured and wrecked in the Battle of Vigo BayBattle of Vigo BayThe Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...
in October 1702 - ? 44 (ex-Dutch, captured 1696) - Scuttled by fire to prevent recapture
- ? (ex-Spanish galleon, captured by des Augiers 1696)
- ? (ex-Spanish galleon, captured by des Augiers 1696)
- Rotterdam 40, 4th Rang (ex-Dutch Rotterdam, captured 1703) - Deleted 1706
- ElizabethHMS Elizabeth (1679)HMS Elizabeth was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Deptford in 1679.Elizabeth was rebuilt as another 70-gun third rate at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1704, but was captured later that year....
70, 2nd Rang (ex-English Elizabeth, captured 1704) - Deleted 1720 - CoventryHMS Coventry (1695)HMS Coventry was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1695.The French 54-gun Auguste, together with the 54-gun Jason, captured Coventry in September 1704....
50, 4th Rang (ex-English Coventry, captured 1704) - Recaptured 1709 - FalmouthHMS Falmouth (1693)HMS Falmouth was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Deptford on 25 June 1693.The ship took part in the Action of August 1702 and on the 4th and 5th days of the action supported Admiral John Benbow attacks when other members of the squadron failed to do...
50, 4th Rang (ex-English Falmouth, captured 1704) - Wrecked 1706 - PendennisHMS Pendennis (1695)HMS Pendennis was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Robert and John Castle at Deptford, and launched in 1695.The Pendennis was captured by two French 50-gun ships off the Dogger Bank in October 1705....
54, 3rd Rang (ex-English Pendennis, captured 1705) - Sold 1706 - BlekoualleHMS Blackwall (1696)Blackwall was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard in 1696.In September 1705, whilst under the command of Captain Samuel Martin Blackwall, along with two smaller vessels, had been ordered to convoy some merchantmen to the Baltic...
54, 3rd Rang (ex-English Blackwall, captured 1705) - Recaptured 1708 - Mercure 40-42, 4th Rang (ex-Dutch Mercurius, captured 1705) - Captured by the English 1707
- ? 50 (ex-Dutch Hardenbroek, captured 1706) - To Russia 1712 as Esperans 44
- GraftonHMS Grafton (1679)HMS Grafton was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Woolwich Dockyard in 1679.Grafton underwent a rebuild at Rotherhithe in 1700, remaining as a 70-gun third rate. She was captured by the french during the Action of 2 May 1707....
70, 2nd Rang (ex-English Grafton, captured 1707) - Broken up 1744 - Hampton CourtHMS Hampton Court (1678)HMS Hampton Court was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1678.She underwent a rebuild in 1701 at Blackwall Yard, remaining a 70-gun third rate...
70, 2nd Rang (ex-English Hampton Court, captured 1707) - Sold 1713 - CumberlandHMS Cumberland (1695)HMS Cumberland was a three-decker 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Bursledon on 12 November 1695.Cumberland was captured by the French in the Battle at the Lizard in 1707. She served in the French navy under her old name, and in 1715 was sold to Genoa. The Genoese...
84, 2nd Rang (ex-British Cumberland, captured 1707) - To Genoa 1715, to Spain 1717, renamed Principe de Asturias, captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape PassaroBattle of Cape PassaroThe Battle of Cape Passaro was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacón by a British fleet under Admiral George Byng, near Cape Passero, Sicily, on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally...
, 1718, to Austria 1720, renamed San Carlos, BU 1733 - Grand Vainqueur 54 (c. 1706, ex-Dutch Overwinnaer, captured 1708) - To Britain, to Russia 1712 as Viktoria
- Gloucester 60/64 (ex-British Gloucester, captured 1709) - To Genoa 1711, to Spain 1720, renamed Conquistador 62/64, stricken 1738
- PembrokeHMS Pembroke (1694)HMS Pembroke was a 60-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford on 22 November 1694.Pembroke was captured in 1709, recaptured in 1711, and finally sold to Spain in Genoa in 1713 and renamed Lanfranco. She saw action in the siege of Barcelona under D...
60, 3rd Rang (ex-British Pembroke, captured 1710) - Retaken but foundered 1711 - Le Beau Parterre (c. 1710, ex-Dutch Schonauwen, captured 1711) - Intended for Russia but captured on delivery voyage by Sweden 1713/14, renamed Kronskepp
Louis XVLouis XV of FranceLouis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
(1715 to 1774)
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, the nephew of Louis XIV)
First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")
Few three-decker ships were built during this reign, only four being completed during the sixty years.- FoudroyantFrench ship Foudroyant (1724)The Foudroyant was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, designed by Hélie.Foudroyant never took to sea, and was broken up between 1742 and 1743.-References:* Dictionnaire de la flotte de guerre française, Jean-Michel Roche...
110 (launched April 1724 at Brest) - BU 1742 - Royal LouisFrench ship Royal Louis (1743)Royal Louis was a First-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, but was never completed. Launch was scheduled to be in 1743, but in December 1742 she was set alight while still on the stocks, and burnt. It was claimed that this was an act of sabotage by a Señor Pontleau, who was tried and...
118 (never launched - burnt by arson on the stocks in 1742) - Royal LouisFrench ship Royal Louis (1758)The Royal Louis was a first-rate 116-gun ship of the line of the Royal French Navy, built in 1757-59 by Jacques-Luc Coulomb at Brest. She was the fourth ship to bear the name, and the only ship of the Sans-Pareil design ever built....
116 (launched May 1759 at Brest) - BU 1772 - Ville de ParisFrench ship Ville de Paris (1764)The Ville de Paris was a large three-decker French ship of the line that became famous as the flagship of the Comte de Grasse during the American Revolutionary War....
90 (launched 19 January 1764 at Rochefort) - Laid down as Impétueux. Enlarged to 104 guns, captured by the British in the Battle of the SaintesBattle of the SaintesThe 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...
in April 1782, sank in a storm in September 1782 - BretagneFrench ship Bretagne (1766)The Bretagne was a large 110-gun three-decker French ship of the line, built at Brest, which became famous as the flagship of the Brest Fleet during the American War of Independence....
100 (launched 24 May 1766 at Brest) - Renamed Révolutionnaire, BU 1796
80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")
Large two-deckers, these served usually as fleet flagships.- Tonnant 80 (launched 17 November 1743 at Toulon) - BU 1780
- Soleil RoyalFrench ship Soleil-Royal (1749)The Soleil-Royal was a ship in the French navy, the third ship of that name. She was Brienne's flagship at the battle of Quiberon Bay, where she ran aground and was burnt to prevent her capture....
80 (launched 30 June 1749 at Brest) - Driven ashore by the British and burnt at the Battle of Quiberon BayBattle of Quiberon BayThe naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
in November 1759 - FoudroyantHMS Foudroyant (1758)The Foudroyant was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was later captured and served in the Royal Navy as the Third Rate HMS Foudroyant.-French Navy and capture:...
80 (launched 18 December 1750 at Toulon) - Captured by the British near Cartagena in February 1758 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1787 - FormidableFrench ship Formidable (1751)Formidable was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1751.She fought at the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759, where she served as the flagship of De Saint André du Vergé. captured her at the battle and the Admiralty commissioned her in the Royal Navy as the Third...
80 (launched June 1751 at Brest) - Captured by the British in the Battle of Quiberon BayBattle of Quiberon BayThe naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
in November 1759 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1768 - Duc de Bourgogne 80 (launched 20 October 1751 at Rochefort) - renamed Peuple in September 1792, then Caton in February 1794; BU 1800-1801
- Océan 80 (launched 20 June 1756 at Toulon) - Driven ashore and burnt by the British in the Battle of LagosBattle of LagosThe naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.-Origins:...
in August 1759 - OrientFrench ship OrientA number of ships of the French Navy have borne the name Orient. Among them :* The 80-gun ship of the line Orient * The 118-gun ship of the line Orient originally named Dauphin Royal, renamed Sans Culotte in September 1792 and then Orient in May 1795 - flagship of the French fleet at the Battle...
80 (1756) - (launched 9 October 1756 at Lorient) - Built for the Compagnie des IndesFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
, bought by the French Navy in May 1759, wrecked in the East Indies 1782 - Saint-Esprit 80 (launched 12 October 1765 at Brest) - renamed Scipion 1794; wrecked in a storm 1795
- LanguedocFrench ship Languedoc (1766)The Languedoc was a ship of the line of the French Navy and flagship of Admiral d'Estaing. She was offered to King Louis XV by the Languedoc, as part of a national effort to rebuild the navy after the Seven Years' War. She was designed by the naval architect Joseph Coulomb.In 1776, France decided...
80 (launched 14 May 1766 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken by the French in December 1793. Renamed Anti-fédéraliste in April 1794, then renamed Victoire in May 1795, BU 1799 - CouronneFrench ship La Couronne (1768)The Couronne was an 80-gun Saint-Esprit-class ship of the line of the French Navy.She was laid down at Brest in August 1766 and launched in May 1768. She took part in the Battle of Ushant in 1778 and the Battle of Martinique under Guichen in July 1780...
80 (launched May 1768 at Brest) - Accidentally burnt 1781
74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74")
These formed overwhelmingly the core of the French battlefleet.- Sceptre 74 (launched July 1720 at Brest)
- Bourbon 74 (launched September 1720 at Brest)
- Saint Philippe 74 (launched 1722 at Rochefort)
- Duc d'Orléans 74 (launched 13 August 1722 at Toulon)
- Phénix 74 (launched 17 March 1723 at Toulon)
- Espérance 74 (launched 8 August 1723 at Toulon)
- Ferme 74 (launched 11 November 1723 at Toulon)
- Neptune 74 (1723) - Captured by the British in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747
- Juste 74 (launched September 1725 at Rochefort)
- Saint Esprit 74 (launched 9 January 1726 at Toulon)
- Superbe 74 (launched 27 June 1738 at Brest)
- Dauphin-Royal 74 (launched 13 October 1738 at Brest)
- Terrible 74 (launched 19 December 1739 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747 and added to the RN under the same name, BU in 1763
- InvincibleHMS Invincible (1747)The Invincible was a 74-gun French ship of the line, later a third-rate of the Royal Navy.During the early part of the 18th century British ship designers had made few significant advances in design, whereas French shipbuilding benefited from a remarkably creative period. At the time of the capture...
74 (launched 21 October 1744 at Rochefort) - captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and added to the RN under the same name, wrecked in February 1758 - Magnanime 74 (launched 22 November 1744 at Rochefort) - captured by the British in January 1748 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1775
- ConquérantFrench ship Conquérant (1747)The Conquérant was a Citoyen class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of the Nile, where she was armed with only 18- and 12-pounders, and crewed by a mere 400 men, under captain Dalbarade. Second ship in the vanguard of her line, Conquérant sustained fire from...
74 (launched 10 March 1746 at Brest) - captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN under the same name - Monarque 74 (launched March 1747 at Brest) - captured by the British in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747
- Intrépide 74 (launched 24 March 1747 at Brest)
- Sceptre 74 (launched 21 June 1747 at Brest)
- Magnifique 74 (launched 7 March 1749 at Brest)
- TéméraireFrench ship Téméraire (1749)Téméraire was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1749. captured Téméraire at the Battle of Lagos on 18 August 1759. She was taken into the Royal Navy as the Third Rate HMS Temeraire....
74 (launched 24 December 1749 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Battle of LagosBattle of LagosThe naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.-Origins:...
in August 1759 and added to the RN as HMS Temeraire, sold 1784 - Couronne 74 (launched 1749 at Rochefort)
- Florissant 74 (launched 11 August 1750 at Rochefort)
- Entreprenant 74 (launched 19 October 1751 at Brest) - burnt by the British in the siege of LouisbourgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in July 1758 - Redoutable 74 (launched 5 May 1752 at Toulon) - driven ashore and burnt by the British in the Battle of LagosBattle of LagosThe naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.-Origins:...
in August 1759 - Palmier 74 (launched c.21 July 1752 at Brest)
- HérosFrench ship Héros (1750)The Héros was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, built by Joseph Chapelle at Brest and launched in 1752In 1755, the Héros, under captain de Kermabon, took part in the Canadian campaign in the Bullion de Montlouet squadron....
74 (launched 1 September 1752 at Brest) - wrecked in combat with the British in the Battle of Quiberon BayBattle of Quiberon BayThe naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
in November 1759 - Prudent 74 (launched 28 July 1753 at Rochefort) - burnt by the British in the siege of LouisbourgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in July 1758 - Guerrier 74 (launched 7 September 1753 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, captured and burnt by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798. - Courageux 74 (launched 11 October 1753 at Brest) - captured by the British in August 1761 and added to the RN under the same name, wrecked 1796
- Defenseur 74 (launched 6 March 1754 at Brest)
- Hector 74 (launched 23 July 1755 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Battle of the SaintesBattle of the SaintesThe 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...
in April 1782, recaptured by the French in September 1782 - DiadèmeFrench ship Diadème (1756)The Diadème was the lead ship of the Diadème class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.On 17 March 1757, along with the 64-gun Éveillé, she captured HMS Greenwich, commanded by Captain Robert Roddam, off Saint-Domingue....
74 (launched 26 June 1756 at Brest) - renamed Brutus in September 1792, BU 1797 - Glorieux 74 (launched 10 August 1756 at Rochefort) - captured by the British in the Battle of the SaintesBattle of the SaintesThe 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...
in April 1782, sank in a storm in September 1782 - Zodiaque 74 (launched 19 November 1756 at Brest)
- Centaure 74 (launched 17 March 1757 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Battle of LagosBattle of LagosThe naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.-Origins:...
in August 1759 and added to the RN as HMS Centaur, wrecked off Newfoundland in 1782 - Minotaure 74 (launched April 1757 at Brest)
- SouverainFrench ship Souverain (1757)The Souverain was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake, in 1781. In 1792, she was renamed Peuple Souverain ....
74 (launched 6 June 1757 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, renamed Peuple-Souverain c. 1794, captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN as HMS Guerrier, BU 1810. - Robuste 74 (launched 2 September 1758 at Lorient)
- Thesée 74 (launched 28 January 1759 at Brest)
- Protecteur 74 (launched 21 May 1760 at Toulon)
- Couronne Ottomane 74 (launched September 1760 at Istanbul for the Ottoman Navy, and purchased August 1761 for France) - returned to the Ottomans in January 1762
- Diligent 74 (launched November 1762 at Lorient-Caudan)
- Six Corps 74 (launched 29 December 1762 at Lorient-Caudan)
- Zélé 74 (launched 1 July 1763 at Toulon)
- Citoyen 74 (launched 27 August 1764 at Brest)
- Conquérant 74 (launched 29 November 1765 at Brest) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 - Bourgogne 74 (launched 26 June 1766 at Toulon)
- Marseillais 74 (launched 16 July 1766 at Toulon) - renamed Vengeur du PeupleFrench ship Vengeur du PeupleThe Vengeur du Peuple was a 74 gun ship of the line of the French Navy launched in 1762.Originally offered by the city of Marseille, and named the Marseillois , she saw action during the American War of Independence...
in February 1794, sunk by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 - Palmier 74 (launched December 1766 at Brest) - Captured by the British in April 1782
- Actif 74 (launched 5 October 1767 at Brest)
- César 74 (launched 3 August 1768 at Toulon) - captured by the British and burnt at the Battle of the SaintesBattle of the SaintesThe 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...
in April 1782 - Bien-Aimé 74 (launched 22 March 1769 at Lorient)
- Victoire 74 (launched 4 October 1770 at Lorient)
finally, two 74-gun ships were begun in Louis XV's reign to the designs of the Bien-Aimé and César respectively, but were not launched until some years later. - Fendant 74 (begun February 1772, launched 11 November 1776 at Rochefort) - wrecked 1784
- Destin 74 (begun April 1770, launched 21 October 1777 at Toulon) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
64-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 64")
- Ardent 64 (launched 1723 at Rochefort) - driven ashore and wrecked by the British in Quiberon Bay in October 1746
- Fleuron 64 (launched 29 April 1730 at Brest) - burnt at Brest 1745
- Borée 64 (launched 22 December 1734 at Toulon) - wrecked 1746
- Mars 64 (launched May 1740 at Brest) - captured by the British off Ireland in October 1746 and added to the RN under the same name, wrecked at Halifax 1755
- Sérieux 64 (26 October 1740 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747
- Saint Michel 64 (launched January 1741 at Brest)
- AlcideFrench ship Alcide (1742)Alcide was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1742.The captain of the vessel was Toussaint Hocquart, for the re-enforcement campaign that was sent to Canada in May of 1755....
64 (launched 6 December 1743 at Brest) - captured by the British off North America in June 1755 and added to the RN under the same name, sold 1772 - Trident 64 (launched 13 September 1742 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747
- Lys 64 (launched c.10 September 1746 at Brest) - captured by the British off North America in June 1755
- Fougueux 64 (launched March 1747 at Brest) - Captured by the British at the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747
- Triton 64 (launched 4 August 1747 at Toulon)
- Achille 64 (launched 15 November 1747 at Toulon) - captured by the British in July 1761
- Jason 64 (1748) - a ship of the Compagnie des Indies, not a naval ship; captured in 1748
- Orphée 64 (launched 10 May 1749 at Toulon) - captured by the British in February 1758
- Hardi 64 (launched 1750 at Rochefort) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793.
- Bizarre 64 (launched September 1751 at Brest)
- Lion 64 (launched 22 May 1751 at Toulon)
- Sage 64 (launched 29 December 1751 at Toulon)
- Vaillant 64 (launched 1 October 1755 at Toulon)
- Capricieux 64 (launched 13 September 1753 at Rochefort) - burnt by the British in the siege of LouisbourgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in July 1758 - Bienfaisant 64 (launched 13 October 1754 at Brest) - captured by the British in the siege of LouisbourgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in July 1758 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1814 - Duc D'AquitaineFrench ship Duc D'Aquitaine (1754)Duc D'Aquitaine was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1754.On 30 May 1757 she was captured by the Royal Navy and commissioned as the third rate HMS Duc D'Aquitaine. She foundered in 1761 and was lost....
64 a Compagnie des Indies ship, not a naval vessel - captured by the British in May 1757 and added to the RN under the same name, wrecked 1761 - RaisonnableFrench ship Raisonnable (1755)Raisonnable was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1755.On 29 May 1758, she was captured by and , and commissioned in the Royal Navy as the third rate HMS Raisonnable. She was lost off Martinique on 3 February 1762....
64 (launched November 1756 at Rochefort) - captured by the British in May 1758 and added to the RN under the same name, sank off Martinique 1762 - Célèbre 64 (launched February 1757 at Brest) - burnt by the British in the siege of LouisbourgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in July 1758 - Belliqueux 64 (launched August 1756 at Brest) - captured by the British near Ilfracombe in November 1758
- Sainte Anne 64 (purchased February 1756) - captured by the British in 1761 and added to the RN as HMS St. Anne, sold 1784
- FantasqueFrench ship Fantasque (1758)The Fantasque was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She is famous for being the ship of Suffren during the American war of independence.-See also:* French ship Fantasque for other ships of the same name...
64 (launched 10 May 1758 at Toulon - identical design to Lion and Sage) - ModesteFrench ship Modeste (1759)HMS Modeste was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was previously the Modeste, of the French Navy, launched in 1759 and captured later that year.-French career and capture:...
64 (launched 12 February 1759 at Toulon) - captured by the British in the Battle of LagosBattle of LagosThe naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.-Origins:...
in August 1759 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1800 - Altier 64 (launched 23 May 1760 at Toulon - identical design to Lion and Sage)
- Provence 64 (1763)
- Union 64 (launched late 1763 at Brest)
- VengeurFrench ship Vengeur (1765)The Vengeur was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She saw action with Bailli de Suffren during the American War of Independence....
64 (launched 25 October 1756 at Lorient for the Compagnie des Indies, and purchased July 1765)
Artésien class of five ships to design by Joseph-Louis Ollivier
- Artésien 64 (launched 7 March 1765 at Brest)
- Roland 64 (launched 14 February 1771 at Brest)
- Alexandre 64 (launched 28 February 1771 at Brest) - captured 1782
- Prothée 64 (launched 10 November 1772 at Brest) - captured by the British in February 1780 and added to the RN as HMS Prothee, BU 1815
- Éveillé 64 (launched 10 December 1772 at Brest)
Three French East India Company ships were purchased by the Navy in April 1770
- Actionnaire 64 (launched 22 December 1767 at Lorient for the Compagnie des IndesFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
, purchased in April 1770 by the Navy) - captured by the British in the Bay of Biscay in April 1782 - Indien 64 (launched 30 July 1768 at Lorient for the Compagnie des IndesFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
, purchased in April 1770 by the Navy) - Mars 64 (launched 17 August 1769 at Lorient for the Compagnie des IndesFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
, purchased in April 1770 by the Navy)
Two further ships were built at Brest in the early 1770s
- Brillant 64 (launched September 1774 at Brest)
- SolitaireFrench ship Solitaire (1774)Solitaire was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1774.She was captured by the Royal Navy on 6th December 1782, and commissioned as the third rate HMS Solitaire. She was sold out of the navy in 1790....
64 (launched 22 October 1774 at Brest)
Finally, two 64-gun ships were begun under Louis XV, but were not launched until some years later.
- Refléchi 64 (launched 25 November 1776 at Rochefort) - renamed Turot in 1793
- Caton 64 (launched 5 July 1777 at Toulon)
Two-deckers of 60 guns ("vaisseaux de 60")
- Content 60 (launched March 1717 at Lorient)
Two-deckers of 50 guns ("vaisseaux de 50")
- Jason 50-58 (launched 1 April 1724 at Le Havre) - Captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and added to the RN under the same name, sold 1793
- Tigre 50-58 (launched 19 October 1724 at Toulon) - BU 1754 at Quebec
- Brillant 50-58 (launched October 1724 at Brest) - BU 1754 at Quebec
- Alcyon 50-58 (launched 14 March 1726 at Toulon) - Burnt 1757
- Rubis 50-58 (launched 18 November 1728 at Le Havre) - Captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and added to the RN under the same name
- Diamant 50-58 (launched 4 September 1733 at Toulon) - Captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and added to the RN as HMS Isis
- Apollon 50-58 (launched 1740 at Rochefort) - Scuttled at Louisbourg in 1758
- Auguste 50-58 (launched January 1741 at Brest) - Captured by the British in 1746 and added to the RN as HMS Portland's Prize
- Caribou 50-58 (launched 13 May 1744 at Quebec) - Deleted 1757
- Oriflamme 50-56 (launched 30 October 1744 at Toulon) - Captured by the British 1761.
- Etoile 50-58 (launched April 1745 at Le Havre) - Burnt 1747 to avoid capture by the British
- Arc-en-Ciel 50-58 (launched 1745 at Bayonne) - Captured by the British near Louisbourg in 1756
- Fier 60-62 (launched 1 December 1745 at Toulon) - Deleted 1782
- Vigilant 64 (1745) - Captured by the British near Louisbourg in May 1745, added to the RN as HMS Vigilante, sold 1759
- Hippopotame 50-58 (launched 5 July 1749 at Toulon) - sold and renamed Fier Rodrigue in November 1777
- Amphion 50-58 (launched 28 July 1749 at Brest) - Deleted 1787
- Aigle 50-58 (launched 1750 at Rochefort) - Stranded 1758
- Sagittaire 50-58 (launched 8 August 1761 at Toulon) - Deleted 1787
Bordelais class: group of four ships designed by Antoine Groignard and built at Bordeaux by Léon-Michel Guignace
- Bordelais 50-58 (launched 26 April 1763 at Bordeaux) - Deleted 1778
- Ferme 50-58 (launched 10 October 1763 at Bordeaux) - Deleted 1774
- Utile 50-58 (launched 14 August 1764 at Bordeaux) - Deleted 1771
- Flamand 50-58 (launched 11 May 1765 at Bordeaux) - deleted 1785 or 1786
- Dauphin 50-56 (c. 1770?) - Ex-Indiaman. Sold 1773
Small two-deckers of 42 - 48 guns ("vaisseaux de 40 a 48")
- Argonaute 44-50 (launched July 1722 at Brest) - hulked 1741
- Parfaite 44-50 (launched January 1723 at Brest) - burned accidentally 1746
- Néreïde 44-50 (launched 26 March 1724 at Rochefort) - deleted 1743
- Gloire 44-50 (launched 5 November 1727 at Le Havre) - captured by the British in the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and added to the RN as HMS Glory
- Aquilon 44-50 (launched 24 November 1733 at Toulon) - Destroyed 1756
- Aurore 44-50 (launched 3 April 1745 at Rochefort) - Deleted 1753
- Junon 44-50 (launched c.September 1747 at Le Havre)
- Danae 44-50 (launched 13 September 1756 at Le Havre)
Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies
- Poder 60-62 (ex-Spanish Poder, sold by Spanish Navy for merchant service 1740 and captured February 1744) - burnt February 1744
- SevernHMS Severn (1695)HMS Severn was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard in 1695.On 13 May 1734, orders were issued for Severn to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Plymouth according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment. Severn was relaunched on 28 March 1739,...
40-48 (ex-British Severn of 48 guns, captured 1746) - recaptured by the British in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747 - WarwickHMS Warwick (1733)HMS Warwick was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1719 Establishment at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched on 25 October 1733....
60-62 (ex-British Warwick, captured March 1756) - recaptured by the British in January 1761 - GreenwichHMS Greenwich (1747)HMS Greenwich was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built during the War of the Austrian Succession, and went on to see action in the Seven Years' War, during which she was captured by the French and taken into their service under the same name...
50-58 (ex-British Greenwich, captured March 1757) - wrecked January 1758 - ? 70/80 (ex-Maltese San Salvadore, obtained 1760/61, ex-Turkish Corona Ottomana, mutinied and handed over 1760) - Returned to Turkey 1761
Louis XVILouis XVI of FranceLouis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
(1774 to 1792)
First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")
110-gun three-decker group of 1780. Three different constructeurs designed these ships; the first two were by François-Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers and Léon-Michel Guignace respectively, while the Toulon pair were by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb. Typically each carried 30 x 36pdr guns on the lower deck, 32 x 24pdr guns on the middle deck, 32 x 12pdr guns on the upper deck, and 16 x 8pdr guns on the gaillardGaillard
Gaillard is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Gaillard is close to Geneva on the Swiss border. The biggest border crossing is called Moillesulaz and the second one is Fossard.-External links:*...
s, although this armament varied from time to time.
- InvincibleFrench ship Invincible (1780)Invincible was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.Built on plans by Deslauriers, she served during the American War of Independence in Lamotte-Picquet's squadron....
110 (begun February 1779, launched 20 March 1780 and completed May 1780 at RochefortRochefort, Charente-MaritimeRochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
) - condemned in 1806 and broken up in 1808. - Royal-Louis 110 (begun March 1779, launched 20 March 1780 and completed June 1780 at Brest) - renamed Républicain in September 1792, wrecked in storm December 1794.
- Terrible 110 (begun July 1779, launched 27 January 1780 and completed May 1780 at Toulon) - condemned in 1804 and broken up.
- Majestueux 110 (begun July 1780, launched 17 November 1780 and completed February 1781 at Toulon) - renamed Républicain in May 1797, condemned in 1808.
Dauphin Royal class
Océan class ship of the line
The Océan-type ships of the line were a series of 16 first-rate 118-gun ships of the line of the French navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Fifteen were completed from 1788 on, with the last one entering service in 1854...
(often called "États de Bourgogne class" or "Océan class") - Three-deckers of 118 guns (usually called 120-gun), designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
. Each carried 32 x 36pdr guns on the lower deck, 34 x 24pdr guns on the middle deck, 34 x 12pdr guns on the upper deck, and 18 x 8pdr guns on the gaillard
Gaillard
Gaillard is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Gaillard is close to Geneva on the Swiss border. The biggest border crossing is called Moillesulaz and the second one is Fossard.-External links:*...
s.
- Commerce de MarseilleFrench ship Commerce de Marseille (1788)The Commerce de Marseille was a 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of the Océan class.Commerce de Marseille was offered to the King by the Commerce Chamber of Marseille. Built on state-of-the-art plans by Sané, she was dubbed the "finest ship of the century"...
118 (begun April 1787, launched 7 August 1788 and completed October 1790 at Toulon) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1802 - États de BourgogneFrench ship Océan (1790)Océan was a 118-gun first-rate three-decker ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was ordered as États de Bourgogne and was launched at Brest in 1790...
118 (begun August 1786, launched 8 November 1790 and completed December 1790 at Brest) - renamed Cote d'Or 1793, renamed Montagne 1793, renamed Peuple 1795, renamed Océan 1795, BU 1856 - Dauphin-RoyalFrench ship Orient (1791)The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
118 (begun May 1790, launched 20 July 1791 and completed August 1793 at Toulon) - renamed Sans Culotte 1792 - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, renamed Orient 1795, blown up by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798
80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")
- AugusteFrench ship Auguste (1778)The Auguste was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In 1781 and 1782, she took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, under Admiral de Grasse. She fought at the Battle of the Chesapeake under captain Bougainville....
80 (1778) - Renamed Jacobin, renamed Neuf Thermidor, sank in storm 1795 - TriomphantFrench ship Le Triomphant (1778)The Triomphant was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Laid down in Toulon in March 1778 by the designer-builder Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb, she was launched on 31 March 1779 and completed in June 1779. She took part in the Battle of Martinique with the Comte de Guichen's fleet in 1780...
80 (1779) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793 - Couronne 80 (1781) - renamed Ca Ira 1792, captured by the British in 1795 and burnt by them by accident 1796
- Deux FrèresFrench ship Deux FrèresThe Deux Frères was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was offered to King Louis XVI by his two brothers.On 29 September 1792, she was renamed Juste. She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, where she was captured....
80-gun ship designed by Antoine Groignard (launched September 1784 at Brest) - Renamed Juste in September 1792, captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1811
Tonnant class
Tonnant class ship of the line
The Tonnant Class was a class of eight 80-gun ships of the line designed in 1787 by Jacques-Noël Sané. From 1802 a new group was begun of slightly modified design, of which more than 24 were begun....
(1787 onwards) - Following his standard design for 74-gun ships (see Téméraire class above), Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
then produced a standard design for an 80-gun ship, to which 8 ships were built
- TonnantHMS Tonnant (1792)Tonnant was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy and lead ship of the Tonnant class. Admiral Nelson captured her at Aboukir Bay on 1 August 1798. The Royal Navy then took her into service...
80 (launched 1789 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1821 - IndomptableFrench ship Indomptable (1789)Indomptable was an 80-gun ship of the line in the French Navy.She took part in the Glorious First of June on 29 May 1794, engaging the English Barfleur and Orion simultaneously, after which the Indomptable, having lost her masts, was towed to Brest by the Brutus .In 1795, she served in the...
80 (launched 1790 at Brest) - Wrecked in the storm following the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 - Sans Pareil 80 (launched 8 June 1793 at Brest) - Captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1842
74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74")
Two ships which were begun before 1774 were completed later; see Fendant (1776) and Destin (1777) under 1715-1774 section above.- NeptuneFrench ship Neptune (1778)The Neptune was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Under Latouche Tréville, she captured a 30-gun British privateer named Hercules on 28 October 1778.In 1782, she was part of de Grasse's squadron...
74-gun ship designed by Pierre-Augustin Lamothe (launched 20 August 1778 at Brest) - Wrecked in a storm 1794
Scipion class
Scipion class ship of the line
The Scipion class was type of 74-gun ships designed by Francois-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers. It comprised three ships:*ScipionThe Scipion class was type of 74-gun ships designed by Francois-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers...
(1778 onwards) - Designed by Francois-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers
- ScipionFrench ship Scipion (1779)The Scipion was a French warship of the 18th century, lead ship of her class.Scipion took part in the American War of Independence, notably sailing at the rear of the French squadron at the Battle of the Chesapeake....
74 (launched 19 September 1778 at Rochefort) - wrecked off San Domingo in October 1782 - HerculeFrench ship Hercule (1778)Hercule was a of Scipion class 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort.Under Captain de la Clocheterie, she took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake and the Battle of the Saintes.She was razéed in 1794....
74 (launched 5 October 1778 at Rochefort) - Razéed to 50-gun frigate in June 1794 - PlutonFrench ship Pluton (1778)Pluton was a of Scipion class 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort.She fought in a series of battles during the American War of Independence, including the battles of Martinique , Fort Royal , Chesapeake , St. Kitts, , and the Saintes .She was renamed Dugommier in 1797 and seems to...
74 (launched 5 November 1778 at Rochefort) - BU 1805
Annibal class (1778 onwards) - Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
- AnnibalFrench ship AnnibalSix ships of the French navy have born the name Annibal in honour of Hannibal:* Annibal , an unbuilt ship of the line * Annibal , a 74 gun ship of the line, lead ship of Annibal class ship of the line...
74 (1778) - Renamed Achille 1786, captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1796 - NorthumberlandFrench ship Northumberland (1780)The Northumberland was a 74-gun Annibal class ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of the Saintes under captain Saint Cézaire, who was killed in the action. In 1782, she captured the 14-gun sloop HMS Allegiance....
74 (1779) - Captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1795
- HérosFrench ship Héros (1778)The Héros was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, known mostly for being the flagship of Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez during the American war of independence....
74 - designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb (launched 30 December 1778 at Toulon) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
Magnanime class (1779 onwards) - Designed by Jean-Denis Chevillard
- MagnanimeFrench ship Magnanime (1779)The Magnanime was a 74-gun of the French Navy, lead ship of her classShe took part in the American War of Independence in De Grasse's squadron, most notably in the Battle of the Saintes, where she trailed with Zélée, in the Battle of St. Lucia, and in the Battle of the Chesapeake.She was broken up...
74 (launched 27 August 1779 at Rochefort) - deleted 1792 and broken up 1793 - IllustreFrench ship Illustre (1781)The Illustre was a 74-gun Magnanime class ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the campaigns of Suffren before staying in Brest between 1788 and 1791. She was razeed into a 44-gun frigate in 1793....
74 (launched 23 February 1781 at Rochefort) - cut down (razéed) to 52-gun ship 1794 and renamed Scévola, wrecked in a storm in December 1796
- SceptreFrench ship Sceptre (1780)The Sceptre was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In 1781 and 1782, she took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, under Admiral de Grasse. She fought at the Battle of the Chesapeake and at the Battle of the Saintes...
74 - designed by Pierre-Augustin Lamothe (launched 9 September 1780 at Brest) - BU 1811
Argonaute class (1781) - Designed by François-Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers
- Argonaute 74 (launched 5 June 1781 at Rochefort) - cut down (razéed) to a 42-gun ship 1794 and renamed Flibustier, out of service 1795
- Brave 74 (launched 6 June 1781 at Rochefort) - hulked in 1798, not mentioned after 1803
Pégase class (1781 onwards) - Designed by Antoine Groignard
- PégaseFrench ship Pegase (1781)The Pégase was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class, launched in 1781.She was captured by the Captain John Jervis on 21 April 1782 in HMS Foudroyant, Jervis was invested as a Knight of the Bath for the capture....
74 (launched 15 October 1781 at Brest) - Captured by the British in the Bay of Biscay in April 1782 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1815 - Dictateur 74 (launched 16 February 1782 at Toulon) - Renamed Liberté in September 1792, captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793, repaired by the French but BU 1807
- Suffisant 74 (launched 6 March 1782 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
- PuissantFrench ship Puissant (1782)Puissant was built in 1781-82 to a design by Antoine Groignard as a Pégase-class third rate. Her captain handed her over to the British at Toulon on 29 August 1793. She arrived at Portsmouth on 3 May 1794...
74 (launched 13 March 1782 at Lorient) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and added to the RN under the same name, sold in 1816 - AlcideFrench ship Alcide (1782)The Alcide was a 74-gun Pégase class ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1782.In 1782, she took part in the American war of Independence in De Grasse's fleet....
74 (launched 27 May 1782 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, blown up by the British in the Battle of HyeresNaval Battle of Hyères IslandsThe Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
in July 1795 - CenseurFrench ship Censeur (1782)Censeur was a 74-gun Pégase-class ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1782. She served during the last months of the American War of Independence, and survived to see action in the French Revolutionary Wars. She was briefly captured by the British, but was retaken after a few months...
74 (launched 24 August 1782 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, captured by the British in the Battle of Cape Noli in March 1795, retaken by the French in October 1795, and transferred to Spain in June 1799, BU 1799
Centaure class
Centaure class ship of the line
The Centaure class was a type of two 74-gun ships of the line.* CentaureThe Centaure class was a type of two 74-gun ships of the line.* CentaureThe Centaure class was a type of two 74-gun ships of the line....
(1782 onwards) - Designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise, all built at Toulon
- Centaure 74 (launched 7 November 1782 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793
- Heureux 74 (launched 19 December 1782 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, burnt by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 - SéduisantFrench ship Séduisant (1783)Séduisant was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was renamed Pelletier on 30 September 1793, in honour of Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. Under Savary, she was one of the last ships of the line at the Glorious First of June.On 30 May 1795 her name...
74 (launched 5 July 1783 at Toulon) - Renamed Pelletier in September 1793, then Séduisant again in May 1795, wrecked in December 1796 - MercureFrench ship Mercure (1783)The Mercure was a 74-gun Séduisant-class ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of the Nile under Captain Cambon. She fought against HMS Majestic and was captured by HMS Alexander. Damaged beyond repair and aground, she was burnt.-See also:*List of ships captured in the...
74 (launched 5 August 1783 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, burnt by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798
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....
(1782 onwards) - numerically the largest class of battleships ever built to a single design. Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
, 97 vessels, each of 74 guns, were laid down between 1782 and 1813.
The first 31 of these, launched before the execution of Louis XVI:-
- TéméraireFrench ship Téméraire (1782)The Téméraire was the lead ship of the Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, battling HMS Russell....
74 (launched 17 December 1782 at Brest) - BU at Brest 1803 - AudacieuxFrench ship Audacieux (1784)The Audacieux was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Between 1791 and 1793, she was decommissioned in Lorient. She joined active service again in 1793, and the next year, she salvaged the Révolutionnaire, dismasted after the Glorious First of June.She was eventually broken...
74 (launched 28 October 1784 at Lorient) - BU at Brest 1803 - SuperbeFrench ship Superbe (1784)The Superbe was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, where she sank due to a leak.- External links :*...
74 (launched 11 November 1784 at Brest) - Lost in a storm in January 1795 - GénéreuxFrench ship Généreux (1785)The Généreux was a French Téméraire class ship of the line.She was launched in 1785 at Rochefort. With the Guillaume Tell, she was one of only two ships to escape the British attack at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798....
74 (launched 21 July 1785 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793, captured by the British near Lampedusa in February 1800 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1816 - Commerce de BordeauxFrench ship Commerce de Bordeaux (1785)The Commerce de Bordeaux was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Renamed Timoléon in February 1794, she took part in the Battle of the Nile under captain Louis-Léonce Trullet. In the confusion of the battle, her rudder was damaged by misdirected fire from the neighbouring...
74 (launched 15 September 1785 at Toulon) - Renamed Bonnet Rouge in January 1794, then Timoléon in February 1794, burnt by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 - Ferme 74 (launched 16 September 1785 at Brest) - Renamed Phocion in October 1792, transferred to Spain 1793, renamed Le Ferme again, stricken 1808 at La Guaira
- FougueuxFrench ship FougueuxThe Fougueux was a Téméraire class 74-gun French ship of the line built at Lorient from 1784 to 1785 by engineer Segondat.She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, firing the first shot of the battle upon HMS Royal Sovereign. She later attempted to come to the aid of the Redoutable by engaging HMS...
74 (launched 19 September 1785 at Lorient) - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and wrecked in the subsequent storm. - PatrioteFrench ship Patriote (1785)The Patriote was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was one of the French ships which had their hull doubled with copper....
74 (launched 3 October 1785 at Brest) - BU 1833 - Commerce de MarseilleFrench ship Commerce de Marseille (1785)Commerce de Marseille was a Téméraire class ship of the line. She was renamed Lys in July 1786 and Tricolore in October 1792. On August 1793 she was captured by the Royal Navy at Toulon....
74 (launched 7 October 1785 at Toulon) - Renamed Lys in July 1786 (before completion), then Tricolore in October 1792, captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793 - Borée 74 (launched 17 November 1785 at Lorient) - Renamed Ça Ira in April 1794, then Agricola in June 1794, BU 1803.
- OrionFrench ship Orion (1787)The Orion was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in fighting on the coast of Italy. In 1793, she was renamed Mucius Scaevola, soon shortened to Mucius....
74 (launched 18 April 1787 at Rochefort) - Renamed Mucius Scaevola in November 1793, then shortened to Mucius in the same month - Léopard 74 (launched 22 June 1787 at Brest)
- EntreprenantFrench ship Entreprenant (1787)The Entreprenant was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In December 1792, she assisted the Languedoc. She was taken by the British when they captured Toulon, but was recaptured....
74 (launched 11 October 1787 at Lorient)- Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, retaken there by the French in December 1793 - ImpétueuxFrench ship Impétueux (1787)The Impétueux was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Glorious First of June in 1794. During the battle, HMS Marlborough. Marlborough became tangled with Impétueux...
74 (launched 25 October 1787 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794 and added to the RN under the same name, accidentally burnt 1794 - ApollonFrench ship Apollon (1788)The Apollon was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Between 1791 and 1793, she was based in Saint-Domingue....
74 (launched 21 May 1788 at Rochefort) - Renamed Gasparin in February 1794, then Apollon again in May 1795, and finally Marceau in December 1797, BU 1798 - AméricaFrench ship America (1788)America was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. The Royal Navy captured her in 1794 at the Battle of the Glorious First of June. She then served with the British under the name HMS Impetueux until she was broken up in 1813...
74 (launched 21 May 1788 at Brest) - Captured by the British in the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
1794, BU 1813 - DuquesneFrench ship Duquesne (1787)The Duquesne was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.It directed in 1793, under captain Vence, an important convoy of Levant then escaped the hostile monitoring from a squadron Anglo-Spanish....
74 (launched 2 September 1788 at Toulon) - Captured by the British near Saint Domingue in July 1803 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1805 - Duguay-Trouin 74 (launched 30 October 1788 at Brest) - Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
- TourvilleFrench ship Tourville (1788)The Tourville was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In August 1793, she was damaged by a tempest, which also killed her captain, and had to return to Brest...
74 (launched 16 December 1788 at Lorient) - BU 1841 - AquilonFrench ship Aquilon (1789)The Aquilon was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She served off Italy under Brueys, and took part in the Battle of the Nile, where she fought HMS Vanguard, HMS Minotaur and HMS Theseus. She was captured and recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Aboukir.- External links...
74 (launched 8 June 1789 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN as HMS Aboukir, BU 1802 - JupiterFrench ship Jupiter (1789)The Jupiter was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Between 1791 and 1793, she was based in Saint-Domingue. In March 1794, she was renamed Montagnard...
74 (launched 4 November 1789 at Brest) - Renamed Démocrate in March 1794, then Jupiter again in May 1795, and finally Batave in December 1797, BU 1807 - ÉoleFrench ship Éole (1789)The Éole was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Between 1791 and 1793, she was based in Saint-Domingue. She took part in the Glorious First of June, where she and Trajan dismasted HMS Bellerophon....
74 (launched 15 November 1789 at Lorient) - BU 1816 - Vengeur 74 (launched 16 December 1789 at Brest) - lost June 1793
- Jean Bart 74 (launched 7 January 1790 at Lorient) - Driven ashore by the British in the Battle of the Basque RoadsBattle of the Basque RoadsThe Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
in February 1809 and burnt by them in April 1809 - ThéséeFrench ship Thésée (1790)The Thésée was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. As Révolution, she took part in the Expédition d'Irlande under Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley.- External links :*...
74 (launched 14 April 1790 at Rochefort) - Renamed Révolution in January 1793, then Finistère in February 1803 - Scipion 74 (launched 30 July 1790 at Toulon)- captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
- PompéeFrench ship Pompée (1793)Pompée was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the Siege of Toulon, Captain Poulain, her commanding officer, joined the British. She fled Toulon when the city fell to the French Republicans and sailed to Britain....
74 (launched 28 May 1791 at Toulon) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1817. - SuffrenFrench ship Redoutable (1791)The Redoutable was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She is known for her duel with HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar and for killing Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson during the action.- Early career :...
74 (launched 31 May 1791 at Brest) - Renamed Redoutable in May 1794 - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and wrecked in the subsequent storm - Pyrrhus 74 (launched 19 August 1791 at Rochefort) - Renamed Mont Blanc in January 1793, then Trente-et-un Mai in April 1794, then Républicain in April 1795 and finally Mont BlancFrench ship Mont-Blanc (1791)Mont-Blanc was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the French Navy.She was built at Rochefort as Pyrrhus in 1791. She was renamed Mont-Blanc in 1793 before being renamed Trente-et-un Mai in 1794. Under that name she fought at the Battle of the First of June in June 1794 under Honoré Joseph...
again in February 1796, captured by the British in the Battle of Cape OrtegalBattle of Cape OrtegalThe Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
74 in November 1805 and added to the RN under the same name - Thémistocle 74 (launched 21 September 1791 at Lorient) - captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793 and burnt by them there in December 1793
- TrajanFrench ship Trajan (1792)The Trajan was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In 1793, Trajan was commissioned in Lorient, under captain Villaret de Joyeuse....
74 (launched 24 January 1792 at Lorient) - Renamed Gaulois in December 1797, BU 1805
64-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 64")
- BrillantFrench ship BrillantNine ships of the French Navy have borne the name Brillant:* Brilliant a 50-gun ship of the line * Brilliant a 40-gun ship of the line * Brilliant a 56-gun ship of the line...
64 (1774) - SolitaireFrench ship Solitaire (1774)Solitaire was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1774.She was captured by the Royal Navy on 6th December 1782, and commissioned as the third rate HMS Solitaire. She was sold out of the navy in 1790....
64 (1774) - Captured by the British in December 1782 and added to the RN under the same name, sold 1790 - Sphinx 64 (1776) - ?
- Caton 64 (1777) - Captured by the British in the Caribbean in April 1782
- Jason 64 (1779) - Captured by the British in the Caribbean in April 1782 and added to the RN as HMS Argonaut, BU 1831
- Sévère 64 (1774) - ?
- Alexandre 64 (launched 1771, already mentioned?) - Scuttled 1782
- Bizarre 64 (launched 1751, already mentioned?) - Wrecked 1782
Captured or otherwise acquired from other navies
- ArdentHMS Ardent (1764)HMS Ardent was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by contract by Hugh Blaydes at Hull according to the plans of Sir Thomas Slade, and launched on 13 August 1764 as the first ship of the...
74 (ex-British Ardent, captured 1779) - recaptured by the British in the Battle of the SaintesBattle of the SaintesThe 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...
in April 1782 and added to the RN as HMS Tiger, sold 1784 - HannibalHMS Hannibal (1779)HMS Hannibal was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Adams of Bucklers Hard and launched on 26 December 1779. She was subsequently captured by the French ship Héros off Sumatra, on 21 January 1782....
50 (ex-British Hannibal, captured 1782) - Deleted 1787
First RepublicFrench First RepublicThe French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
(1792 to 1804)
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
), the Directory until 9 November 1799 (the Directorate was a "Cabinet" of five members),and finally the Consulate until the proclamation of the Empire on 18 May 1804.
First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")
- République FrançaiseFrench ship République française (1802)The République française was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané and built by Pierre Rolland....
118 (launched 18 April 1802 at Rochefort) - renamed Majesteux in February 1803. Broken up 1839 - VengeurFrench ship Vengeur (1803)The Vengeur was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané....
118 (launched 1 October 1803 at Brest) - renamed Impérial in March 1805. Ran ashore and burnt in February 1806.
80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")
Tonnant classTonnant class ship of the line
The Tonnant Class was a class of eight 80-gun ships of the line designed in 1787 by Jacques-Noël Sané. From 1802 a new group was begun of slightly modified design, of which more than 24 were begun....
(continued)
- Figuires 80 (launched 17 March 1795 at Toulon) - renamed Formidable in May 1795 - captured by the British in the Battle of Cape OrtegalBattle of Cape OrtegalThe Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
in November 1805 and added to the RN as HMS Brave - Guillaume Tell 80 (launched 21 October 1795 at Toulon) - Captured by the British near Malta in March 1800 and added to the RN as HMS Malta, BU 1840
- Franklin 80 (launched 25 June 1797 at Toulon) - Captured by the British at the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN as HMS Canopus, sold 1887 - Dix-Huit Fructidor 80 (launched 18 May 1799 at Rochefort) - Renamed Foudroyant in February 1800.
- IndivisibleFrench ship Indivisible (1799)Indivisible was a Tonnant class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Originally named the Indivisible in 1793, she was commissioned in Toulon on 23 September 1800. On 5 February 1803, she was renamed Alexandre, and recommissioned in Brest under captain Leveyer.In December, under captain...
80 (launched 8 July 1799 at Brest) - renamed Alexandre in February 1803 - Captured by the British in the Battle of San DomingoBattle of San DomingoThe Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
in February 1806 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1822
74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74")
Téméraire classTéméraire 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....
(continued)
- TigreFrench ship Tigre (1793)Tigre was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Her first captain was Pierre Jean Van Stabel. When Van Stabel was promoted, she became the flagship of his 6-ship squadron. She notably fought in 1793 to rescue the Sémillante, along with the Jean Bart.Under Jacques Bedout, she took part in...
74 (launched 1793 at Brest) - captured by the British in the Battle of GroixBattle of GroixThe Second Battle of Groix was a naval engagement that took place on 23 June 1795 during the French Revolutionary War off the west coast of France....
in June 1795 and addded to the RN under the same name, BU 1817. - TyrannicideFrench ship Tyrannicide (1793)Tyrannicide was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In 1794, under Alain Joseph Dordelin, she took part in the Glorious First of June...
74 (launched 1793 at Lorient) - renamed Desaix August 1800, wrecked 1802. - NestorFrench ship Nestor (1793)The Nestor was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In the night of the 30th December 1794, Nestor was dismasted due to the poor quality of her masts, and had to return to Brest for repairs. On her journey back, the Nestor met a British frigate under a false flag...
74 (launched 1793 at Brest) - renamed Cisalpin December 1797, then Aquilon February 1803, captured and burnt by the British in the Battle of the Basque RoadsBattle of the Basque RoadsThe Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
in April 1809. - Alexandre 74 (launched 1794 at Rochefort - renamed Jemmapes immediately after launch, condemned 1820 and hulked at Rochefort.
- Barra 74 (launched 1794 at Toulon) - renamed Pégase in October 1795, then Hoche in December 1797, captured by the British in the Battle of Tory IslandBattle of Tory IslandThe Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland...
in October 1798 and added to the RN as HMS Donegal, BU 1845. - Marat 74 (launched 1794 at Rochefort) - renamed Formidable in May 1795, captured by the British in the Battle of GroixBattle of GroixThe Second Battle of Groix was a naval engagement that took place on 23 June 1795 during the French Revolutionary War off the west coast of France....
in June 1795 and added to the RN as HMS Belleisle, BU 1814. - Droits de l'HommeFrench ship Droits de l'Homme (1794)The Droits de l'Homme was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy during the French Revolution.The Droits de l'Homme, was involved in the Action of 6 November 1794, chasing the British 74s Canada and Alexander...
74 (launched 1794 at Lorient) - driven ashore and wrecked by the British in an action off BrittanyAction of 13 January 1797The Action of 13 January 1797 was a small naval battle fought between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the action the frigates successfully outmanoeuvred the much larger French vessel and drove it on shore in...
in January 1797. - WattigniesFrench ship Wattignies (1794)The Wattignies was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Expédition d'Irlande in 1798 under captain Antoine René Thévenard.In July 1808, she was converted to a fluyt....
74 (launched 1794 at Lorient) - condemned at Brest 1808 and BU there 1809. - CassardFrench ship Cassard (1795)Cassard was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Dix-août in 1798 and subsequently Brave in 1803.On the 27 March 1801, as she sailed with the fleet of Toulon, she collided with the Formidable and had to return to harbour.She was captured by the HMS Donegal on 6 February...
74 (launched 1795 at Lorient) - renamed Dix-Août in March 1798, then Brave in February 1803, captured by the British in the Battle of San DomingoBattle of San DomingoThe Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
in February 1806, wrecked 1806. - Jean-Jacques RousseauFrench ship Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795)The Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In October 1796, under captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest...
74 (launched 1795 at Toulon) - renamed Marengo in December 1802, captured by the British in an action in the AtlanticAction of 13 March 1806The Action of 13 March 1806 was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought when a British and a French squadron met unexpectedly in the mid-Atlantic. Neither force was aware of the presence of the other prior to the encounter and were participating in separate campaigns...
in March 1806 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1816. - VialaFrench ship Viala (1795)The Viala was a 74-gun of the French Navy launched in 1795. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1806 and sold in 1814.-French service:...
74 (launched 1795 at Lorient) - Renamed Voltaire in October 1795, then Constitution in December 1795 and finally Jupiter in February 1803, captured by the British in the Battle of San DomingoBattle of San DomingoThe Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
in February 1806 and added to the RN as HMS Maida, sold 1814. - Spartiate 74 (launched 1797 at Toulon) - Captured by the British in the Battle of the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
in August 1798 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1857. - Hercule 74 (launched 1797 at Lorient) - Captured by the British near Brest in April 1798 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1810.
- Quatorze Juillet 74 (launched 1798 at Lorient) - Burnt by accident in April 1798.
- ArgonauteFrench ship Argonaute (1798)The Argonaute was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Under Villaret de Joyeuse, she took part in the expedition to Saint Domingue.She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and managed to return to Cádiz...
74 (launched 1798 at Lorient) - Transferred to Spain 1806 as Argonauta, wrecked 1810. - BrutusFrench ship Brutus (1798)The Brutus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She served in the Caribbean under Willaumez during the Atlantic campaign of 1806.On 19 August 1806, she was dismasted in a tempest and drifted until 10 September...
74 (launched 1798 at Lorient) - Burnt by the British in Chesapeake Bay in August 1806 - UnionFrench ship Union (1799)The Union was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Diomède in 1803. She was wrecked and burnt at the Battle of San Domingo....
74 (launched 1799 at Lorient) - Renamed Diomede in February 1803, captured and burnt by the British in the Battle of San DomingoBattle of San DomingoThe Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
in February 1806. - Duguay-TrouinHMS Implacable (1805)HMS Implacable was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was originally the French Navy's Téméraire-class ship of the line Duguay-Trouin, launched in 1800....
74 (launched 1800 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British in the Battle of Cape OrtegalBattle of Cape OrtegalThe Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
in November 1805 and added to the RN as HMS Implacable, renamed Foudroyant 1943, scuttled 1949. - L'Aigle 74 (launched 6 July 1800 at Rochefort) - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and wrecked in the subsequent storm. - Scipion 74 (launched 29 March 1801 at Lorient) - Captured by the British in the Battle of Cape OrtegalBattle of Cape OrtegalThe Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
in November 1805 and added to the RN under the same name, BU 1819. - HérosFrench ship Héros (1795)The Héros was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort from 1795 to 1801 by engineer Roland. She was one of the numerous Téméraire Class 74-gun ships designed by Sané....
74 (launched 10 May 1801 at Rochefort) - captured by the Spanish at Cadiz in June 1808 and renamed Heroe, stricken 1839 at Ferrol. - Pacificateur 74 (launched l801)
Cassard class
This design by Jacques-Noël Sané was enlarged from the Téméraire Class in order to mount an upper deck battery of 24pdrs compared with the 18pdrs of the earlier class.
- VétéranFrench ship Vétéran (1803)The Vétéran was a development from the Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, one of two ships of a sub-class of which the other vessel was the Cassard...
74 (launched 18 July 1803 at Brest) - Cassard 74 (launched 24 September at Brest).
Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies
- AlexandreHMS Alexander (1778)HMS Alexander was a Royal Navy 74-gun third-rate. This ship of the line was launched at Deptford on 8 October 1778. During her career she was captured by the French, and later recaptured by the British. She fought at the Nile in 1798, and was broken up in 1819...
74 (ex-British Alexander, captured 1793) - Captured by the British in the Battle of GroixBattle of GroixThe Second Battle of Groix was a naval engagement that took place on 23 June 1795 during the French Revolutionary War off the west coast of France....
in June 1795 and added to the RN as HMS Alexander, BU 1819 - BerwickHMS Berwick (1775)HMS Berwick was a 74-gun Elizabeth-class third rate of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 April 1775, to a design by Sir Thomas Slade. She fought the French at the Battle of Ushant and the Dutch at the Battle of Dogger Bank...
74 (1775, ex-British Berwick, captured 1795) - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and wrecked in the subsequent storm - Causse 70/64 (1792, ex-Venetian Vulcano, captured at Venice 1797) - Captured by the British in 1801
- Dubois 66 (1784, ex-Venetian Fama, captured at Venice 1797) - BU 1801
- Robert 70 (1785, ex-Venetian Eolo, captured at Venice 1797)
- Sandos 70 (1785, ex-Venetian San Giorgio, captured at Venice 1797)
- Frontin 70 (1793, ex-Venetian Medea, captured at Venice 1797)
- Banel (1794, ex-Venetian Gloria, captured at Venice 1797)
- Dégo 64 (1765, ex-Maltese San Zacharia, captured at Malta 1798) - Captured by the British at Malta in September 1800
- AthénienHMS AthenienneHMS Athenienne was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was the former Maltese ship San Giovanni, captured by the French and recommissioned as Athénien, and eventually taken by the Royal Navy after the surrender of Valletta, on 4 September 1800.In 1805, under the command of...
64 (1798, ex-Maltese San Giovanni, captured at Malta 1798) - Captured by the British at Malta in September 1800, wrecked in a storm 1806 - LeanderHMS Leander (1780)HMS Leander was a Portland-class 50-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy, launched at Chatham on 1 July 1780. She served on the West Coast of Africa, West Indies, and the Halifax station. During the French Revolutionary Wars she participated in the Battle of the Nile before a French ship captured her....
53 (1780, ex-British Leander, captured 1798) - Captured by the Russians 1799, returned to Britain, hospital ship 1806, renamed Hygeia 1813, sold 1817 - Alliance 74 (1783, ex-Spanish San Sebastian, obtained 1799) - Stricken 1807
- AigleFrench ship AigleThe Aigle was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort in 1800.In 1805 she sailed to the West Indies with Algésiras where they joined a French fleet under Vice-Admiral Villeneuve....
(c. 1799) - Saint Antoine 74 (ex-Spanish San Antonio, obtained 1800) - Captured by the British in the Battle of Algeciras BayBattle of Algeciras BayThe Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French-Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar. In the first battle, the French drove off an attack by the larger British fleet and captured one ship of the line...
in July 1801 and added to the RN as HMS San Antonio, sold 1828 - Hannibal 74 (1786, ex-British Hannibal, captured in the Battle of Algeciras BayBattle of Algeciras BayThe Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French-Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar. In the first battle, the French drove off an attack by the larger British fleet and captured one ship of the line...
in July 1801) - ConquérantFrench ship ConquérantConquérant was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was built in Cartagena in 1791 as a 74-gun ship under the name Conquistador, sold to France in 1801 and renamed Conquérant...
74 (1791, ex-Spanish Conquistador, obtained 1801) - disarmed in Brest 21 September 1802 - IntrépideFrench ship IntrépideIntrépide was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the French navy. She was originally built at Ferrol, Spain in 1799 as the Spanish ship of the line Intrepido, and later was sold to France in 1800....
74 (1790, ex-Spanish Intrepido, obtained 1801) - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and wrecked in the subsequent storm. - Desaix 74 (1792, ex-Spanish Pelayo, obtained 1801) - Stricken 1804
- Ulysse 74 (1765, ex-Spanish San Genaro, obtained 1801) - Renamed Tourville, stricken 1822
- Atlas 74 (1754, ex-Spanish Atlante, obtained 1801) - Captured by the Spanish at Cadiz in June 1808, same name, BU 1817
- SwiftsureHMS Swiftsure (1787)HMS Swiftsure was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She spent most of her career serving with the British, except for a brief period when she was captured by the French during the Napoleonic Wars...
74 (1787, ex-British Swiftsure, captured 1801) - Re-captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 and added to the RN as Irresistible, BU 1816 - CalcuttaHMS Calcutta (1795)HMS Calcutta was an East Indiaman converted to a Royal Navy 56-gun fourth rate. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia in a voyage that became a circumnavigation of the world. The French 74-gun Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805...
56 (1795, ex-British Calcutta, previously British East Indiaman Warley, captured 1805) - Burnt by the British in the Battle of the Basque RoadsBattle of the Basque RoadsThe Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
in April 1809
First EmpireFirst French EmpireThe First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
(1804 to 1815)
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
from 20 March to 22 June 1815; this section of the article includes all ships of the line launched from May 1804 to June 1815.
118-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 118")
Later Dauphin Royal class (118-gun ships, continued)- AusterlitzFrench ship Austerlitz (1808)The Austerlitz was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.Ordered on 19 December 1805 to reinforce the Navy after the disaster of Trafalgar, she was commissioned in Toulon in May 1809 under Captain Guien.29 August 1814, after the...
118 (launched 15 August 1808 at Toulon) - Condemned 8 March 1837 at Brest. - WagramFrench ship Wagram (1810)The Wagram was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.Begun as Monarque, she was commissioned as Wagram in Toulon on 15 June 1810 under Captain Baudin....
118 (launched 1 July 1810 at Toulon) - Condemned 15 October 1836 at Brest. - ImpérialFrench ship Impérial (1811)The Impérial was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané and built by François Poncet....
118 (launched 1 December 1811 at Toulon) - Renamed Royal Louis April 1814, renamed Impérial March 1815, renamed Royal Louis July 1815, condemned 31 March 1825 at Toulon. - MontebelloFrench ship Montebello (1812)Montebello was an Océan type 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was launched in 1812 and refitted in 1821.In 1851, she was refitted to receive a steam engine. During trials, performance under sail was poor, probably because of the propeller which increased the drag.She took part in...
118 (launched 6 December 1812 at Toulon) - Rebuilt 1851-52 as steam battleship, stricken 1867, BU 1889 at Toulon. - HérosFrench ship Héros (1813)The Héros was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.Ordered in 1812, she was disarmed in 1816 in an unfinished state....
118 (launched 15 August 1813 at Toulon) - Condemned 10 March 1828 at Toulon.
110-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 110")
Commerce de ParisCommerce de Paris class ship of the line
The Commerce de Paris class was a ship of the line class of the French Navy, designed in 1804 by Jacques-Noël Sané as a shortened version of his 118-gun Océan Class three-deckers...
class, design by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
, shortened from his 118-gun design by removing one pair of guns from each deck.
- Commerce de ParisFrench ship Commerce de Paris (1806)The Commerce de Paris was a 110-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was offered to the French Republic by a subscription of merchants from Paris on 27 May 1803 and started as Ville de Paris...
110 (launched 8 August 1806 at Toulon) - razeed by one battery 1822-1825, renamed Commerce on 11 August 1830, then Borda in December 1840, then Vulcain in August 1863. - Duc d'AngoulemeFrench ship Iéna (1814)The Iéna was a Commerce de Paris class 110-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was laid down on 6 March 1805 as Victorieux ....
110 (launched 30 August 1814 at Rochefort) - renamed Iéna in March 1815, reverting to Duc d'Angouleme in July 1815, and renamed Iéna again on 9 August 1830; stricken 31 December 1864.
80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")
Bucentaure classBucentaure class ship of the line
The Bucentaure class was a class of 80-gun French ships of the line built to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané from 1802 onwards, of which at least 29 were ordered but only 21 ships were launched...
80-gun ships designed by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
, a modification of the 8-ship Tonnant class listed above. 21 ships were launched to this design, of which 16 were afloat by the end of 1814
- BucentaureFrench ship Bucentaure (1804)Bucentaure was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Latouche Tréville, who died on board on 18 August 1804....
80 (launched 13 July 1803 at Toulon) - Flagship at the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, 21 October 1805, captured there by the British and wrecked in the subsequent storm - Neptune 80 (launched 15 August 1803 at Toulon) - Captured by the Spanish at Cadiz in June 1808, renamed Neptuno, BU 1820
- RobusteFrench ship Robuste (1806)The Robuste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.She was commissioned under Captain Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet, and was later captained by Julien Cosmao....
80 (launched 30 October 1806 at Toulon) - Driven ashore by the British and burnt near Frontignan in October 1809 - Ville de VarsovieFrench ship Ville de Varsovie (1808)The Ville de Varsovie was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Chaumont from original plans by Sané.Built as Tonnant, she was renamed Ville de Varsovie while still under construction...
80 (launched 10 May 1808 at Rochefort) - Captured and burnt by the British in the Battle of the Basque RoadsBattle of the Basque RoadsThe Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
in April 1809 - DonawerthFrench ship Donawerth (1808)The Donawerth was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In late 1809, Ganteaume was organising reinforcements to Barcelona. Cosmao set his flag on and took command of a squadron comprising , , and , as well as the frigates and , and a dozen of...
80 (launched 4 July 1808 at Toulon) - BU 1824 - EylauFrench ship Eylau (1808)The Eylau was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Began as Saturne, she was rename Eylau while still under construction. She was commissioned on 11 March 1809 under Captain Jurien de La Gravière.In 1811, she was the flagship of Admiral Allemand...
80 (launched 19 November 1808 at Lorient) - BU 1829 - FriedlandFrench ship Friedland (1810)The Friedland was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Her launching was attended by Napoleon and his wife, Marie Louise...
80 (launched 2 May 1810 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Dutch Navy in August 1814 and renamed Vlaming, BU 1823 - SceptreFrench ship Sceptre (1810)The Sceptre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.-References:* Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, tome I...
80 (launched 15 August 1810 at Toulon) - Condemned 1828 - TilsittFrench ship Tilsitt (1810)The Tilsitt was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She defended the harbour on Anvers until 1814....
80 (launched 25 August 1810 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Dutch Navy in August 1814 and renamed Neptunus, BU 1818 - AugusteFrench ship Auguste (1811)The Auguste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In 1812, she was part of Gourdon's squadron.She was renamed to Illustre in March 1814, with the Bourbon Restauration...
80 (launched 25 April 1811 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Dutch Navy in August 1814 and renamed Illustre, returned in September 1814, BU 1827 - PacificateurFrench ship Pacificateur (1811)The Pacificateur was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané. She is notable for being the first ship to sustain damage from Paixhans shells....
80 (launched 22 May 1811 at Antwerp) - BU 1824 - IllustreFrench ship Illustre (1811)The Illustre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was given to Holland with the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814.-References:...
80 (launched 9 June 1811 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Dutch Navy in August 1814 and renamed Prins van Oranje,BU 1825. - DiadèmeFrench ship Diadème (1811)The Diadème was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Commissioned in Lorient in January 1812, Diadème was disarmed at the Bourbon Restauration...
80 (launched 1 December 1811 at Lorient) - Condemned 1856. - ConquérantFrench ship Conquérant (1812)The Conquérant was a Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Anvers under Captain Lafond in the Scheldt squadron. At the Bourbon Restauration, she was sent to Brest, where she underwent a refit in 1821, and was sent to Toulon in 1824...
80 (launched 27 April 1812 at Antwerp) - Condemned 1831. - Zélandais 80 (launched 12 October 1813 at Cherbourg) - renamed Duquesne in April 1814, but reverted to Zélandais in March 1815 then Duquesne again in July 1815. Condemned 1858.
- MagnifiqueFrench ship Magnifique (1814)The Magnifique was a 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Lorient on 1 November 1814....
80 (launched 29 October 1814 at Lorient) - Condemned 1837.
74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74")
Téméraire class (continued)- MagnanimeFrench ship Magnanime (1803)The Magnanime was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Her keel was laid in June 1802, and she was launched in Rochefort on 18 August 1803.She took part in Allemand's expedition of 1805 under Captain Pierre-Francois Violette...
74 (launched 1803) - AchilleFrench ship Achille (1803)The Achille was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort in 1803 after plans by Jacques-Noël Sané.Under the command of Captain Louis Gabriel Deniéport, she sailed at the vanguard of the French Fleet on 20 October 1805, just before the Battle of Trafalgar, and she was the first...
74 (launched 1803 at Rochefort) - Burnt by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805 - Suffren 74 (launched 1803)
- Lion 74 (launched 1804 at Rochefort) - Driven ashore by the British and burnt near Frontignan in October 1809
- Algésiras 74 (launched 1804 at Lorient) - Captured by the British in the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805, retaken by the French two days later, captured by the Spanish at Cadiz in June 1808, renamed Algeciras, stricken 1826 - RégulusFrench ship Régulus (1805)The Régulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns....
74 (launched 1805) - Ajax 74 (launched 17 June 1806 at Rochefort)
- d'Hautpoult 74 (launched 2 September 1807 at Lorient) - captured by the British in an action in the CaribbeanTroude's expedition to the CaribbeanTroude's expedition to the Caribbean was a naval operation by a French force under Commodore Amable-Gilles Troude during the Napoleonic Wars. The French squadron departed from Lorient in February 1809 in an attempt to reach and resupply the island colony of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea, then...
in April 1809 and added to the RN as HMS Abercrombie, sold 1817 - PolonaisFrench ship Polonais (1808)The Polonais was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.First named Glorieux, she was renamed on 23 February 1807....
74 (launched 25 May 1808 at Lorient) - renamed Lys 1814, renamed Polonais 1815, renamed Lys 1815, BU 1825 - TonnerreFrench ship Tonnerre (1808)The Tonnerre was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Started in 1794, she remained under construction until 1808. Under captain de la Roncière, she joined the Rochefort squadron in February 1809....
74 (launched 9 June 1808 at Brest) - Burnt by the British in the Battle of the Basque RoadsBattle of the Basque RoadsThe Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
in April 1809 - Danube 74 (launched ?25 December 1808 at Toulon)
- Golymin 74 (launched 8 December 1809 at Lorient)
- Triomphant 74 (launched 31 March 1809 at Rochefort)
- Ulm 74 (launched 25 May 1809 at Toulon)
- Marengo 74 (launched 1810 at Lorient) - renamed Pluton 1866, BU 1873
- Nestor 74 (launched 1810)
- Trajan 74 (launched 1811)
- TridentFrench ship Trident (1811)The Trident was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.On 13 February 1814, she was part of Julien Cosmao's squadron which was intercepted off Toulon by a British blockade. The Romulus, at the rear, managed to hold off the British ships.In 1823, during the Spanish expedition,...
74 (launched 1811 at Toulon) - BU 1879 - Agamemnon 74 (launched 1812)
- Gaulois 74 (launched 1812)
- RomulusFrench ship Romulus (1812)The Romulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In February 1814, under captain Rolland, she sailed from Toulon to Genoa, being part of a division under Julien Cosmao...
74 (launched 1812 at Toulon) - renamed Gurrière 1921, BU 1840 - Ville de MarseilleFrench ship Ville de Marseille (1812)The Ville de Marseille was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In 1827, she was upgraded to 80 guns. The next year, she took part in operations in Easter Mediterranean under captain Cuvillier....
74 (launched 1812 at Toulon) - BU 1827 - Colosse 74 (launched 1813)
- Duguay-Trouin 74 (launched 1813)
- Orion 74 (launched 1813)
- ScipionFrench ship Scipion (1813)The Scipion was a 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line of the French Navy.She was commissioned in 1813, captained by Louis François Richard Barthélémy de Saizieu...
74 (launched 1813) - Superbe 74 (launched 1814)
- Polyphème 74 (launched 1815)
- HerculeFrench ship Hercule (1815)The Hercule was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Her keel was laid down in Toulon in 1812 as Kremlin...
74 (launched 1815) - renamed Provence 1814, Hercule 1815, Provence 1815, BU 1881
Pluton class - A revised design for 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....
, by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
, described officially as "the small model" specially introduced to be constructed at shipyards outside France itself (the first pair were built at Toulon) where they lacked the depth of water required to launch 74s of the Téméraire Class.
- PlutonFrench ship Pluton (1804)Pluton was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Toulon.It took part in the Battle of Trafalgar under Captain Julien Cosmao escaped to Cádiz with other ships. Two days later, on 23 October 1805, she was the flagship of the counter-attack from Cádiz, together with Indomptable, Neptune, Rayo, and...
74 (launched 17 January 1805 at Toulon) - captured by the Spanish at Cadiz in June 1808, retained the same name, later renamed Montañes, BU 1816. - Borée 74 (launched 27 June 1805 at Toulon) - BU 1827
- Génois 74 (launched 17 August 1805 at Genoa) - BU 1821
- Charlemagne 74 (launched 8 April 1807 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Netherlands Navy in 1814 and renamed Nassau.
- Commerce de Lyon 74 (launched 9 April 1807 at Antwerp) - BU 1819
- Anversois 74 (launched 7 June 1807 at Antwerp) - BU 1819
- Duguesclin 74 (launched 20 June 1807 at Antwerp) - BU 1820
- César 74 (launched 21 June 1807 at Antwerp) - transferred to the Netherlands Navy on 1 August 1814 and renamed Prins Frederik.
- Dantzig 74 (launched 15 August 1807 at Antwerp) - renamed Achille in August 1814, BU 1815
- Ville de Berlin 74 (launched 6 September 1807 at Antwerp) - renamed Atlas in July 1815, BU 1819
- Pultusk 74 (launched 20 September 1807 at Antwerp) - Transferred to the Netherlands Navy on 1 August 1814 and renamed Waterloo.
- Breslau 74 (launched 3 May 1808 at Genoa) - condemned 1836.
- Dalmate 74 (launched 21 August 1808 at Antwerp)
- Albanais 74 (launched 2 October 1808 at Antwerp)
- RivoliFrench ship Rivoli (1810)The Rivoli was a Téméraire class ship of the line of the French Navy.Rivoli was built in Venice, whose harbour was too shallow for a 74 to exit. To allow her to depart, a system of external ballasts, known as Chameaux , was added to improved her Buoyancy...
74 (launched 6 September 1810 at Venice) - captured by the British in an action in the AdriaticAction of 22 February 1812The Battle of Pirano on 22 February 1812 was a minor naval action of the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars fought between a British and a French ship of the line in the vicinity of the town of Piran in Adriatic Sea. The French Rivoli, named for Napoleon's victory 15 years earlier, had been...
in February 1812 and added to the RN under the same name, stricken 1819. - Mont Saint Bernard 74 (launched 9 June 1809 at Venice)
- Régénérateur 74 (launched July 1811 at Venice)
- Royal HollandaisHMS Chatham (1812)HMS Chatham was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She had been planned as the Royal-Hollandais for the French Navy, but was captured while under construction during the Walcheren Campaign....
74 (begun 1806 at Flushing, frames taken to Woolwich after Flushing was taken by the British, and there launched as HMS Chatham on 14 February 1812) - Castiglione 74 (launched 2 August 1812 at Venice)
- Royal Italien 74 (launched 15 August 1812 at Venice)
- Piet Hein 74 (launched 1 May 1813 at Rotterdam) - abandoned December 1813 to Netherlands, who renamed her Admiraal Piet Hein
- Couronne 74 (launched 26 October 1813 at Amsterdam) - abandoned December 1813 to Netherlands, who renamed her Prins Willem de Eerste
- Montebello 74 (launched 7 November 1815 at Venice) - completed by Austrians, who renamed her Cesare but never finished her
- Audacieux 74 (launched October 1816 at Amsterdam for Netherlands Navy, renamed Wassenaar
- Polyphème 74 (launched July 1817 at Amsterdam for Netherlands Navy, renamed Holland
Four further ships begun at Venice to this design were never launched - Montenotte, Arcole, Lombardo and Semmering; all were broken up on the stocks by the Austrian occupiers.
Louis XVIIILouis XVIII of FranceLouis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
(1815 - 1824)
118-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 118")
Later Dauphin Royal class (continued)- SouverainFrench ship Souverain (1819)Souverain was an Océan type 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was launched in 1819 and transformed into a steam ship in 1853.In 1853, she was refitted to receive a steam engine....
118 (launched 25 August 1819 at Toulon) - broken up 1905. - TrocadéroFrench ship Trocadéro (1824)The Trocadéro was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.Ordered as Formidable, she was commissioned in Toulon as Trocadéro in 1824....
118 (launched 14 November 1824 at Toulon) - burnt by accident 1836.
80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")
Bucentaure class (continued)- CentaureFrench ship Centaure (1818)The Centaure was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in operations of the Spanish expedition in 1823, along with Trident and Sirène, silencing fort Santi-Pietri...
80 (launched 8 January 1818 at Cherbourg) - hulked 1849, burnt by accident 1862. - NeptuneFrench ship Neptune (1818)The Neptune was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Started in 1810, briefly renamed Brabançon during the Hundred Days and launched in 1818, after the Bourbon Restauration, she remained without commission until 1839.She was part of a squadron...
80 (launched 21 March 1818 at Lorient) - hulked 1858, broken up 1868. - AlgésirasFrench ship Algésiras (1823)The Algésiras was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, under Captain Ponée, and in the Tage expedition the next year, under Captain Moulac....
80 (launched 21 August 1823 at LorientLorientLorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
.
74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74")
Téméraire class (continued)- Duc de Berry 74 (launched 18 June 1818 at Rochefort) - renamed Minerve 1832, hulked 1853, broken up 1874.
- Jean Bart 74 (launched 25 August 1820 at Lorient-Caudan) - hulked 1833, broken up after 1835.
- Triton 74 (launched 22 September 1823 at Rochefort) - hulked 1850-52, broken up 1870.
- CouronneFrench ship Couronne (1824)The Couronne was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830.She was later renamed Barricade, and Duperré after Duperré's death....
74 (launched 26 August 1824 at Brest) - hulked 1862, broken up 1870.
Charles XCharles X of FranceCharles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
(1824 - 1830)
Louis-Philippe (1830 - 1848)
Later units of the 118-gun typeOcéan class ship of the line
The Océan-type ships of the line were a series of 16 first-rate 118-gun ships of the line of the French navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Fifteen were completed from 1788 on, with the last one entering service in 1854...
, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades.
- FriedlandFrench ship Friedland (1840)The Friedland was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Her keel was laid down in Cherbourg in 1812 as Inflexibe. During her construction, she was renamed Friedland, Duc de Bordeaux during the Bourbon Restoration, Friedland again briefly during the Hundred Days and back to Duc...
114 (launched 4 April 1840 at Cherbourg) - Laid down in May 1812 as L'Inflexible, renamed Duc de Bordeaux in May 1821, renamed Friedland in August 1830. Hulked and renamed Colosse in 1865, BU 1879.
Suffren
Suffren class ship of the line
The Suffren class was a late type of 90-gun ships of the line of the French Navy.Intended as successors of the 80-gun Bucentaure class by Jean Tupinier, they introduced the innovation of having straight walls, instead of the Tumblehome design that had prevailed until then; this tended to heighten...
class
- SuffrenFrench ship Suffren (1824)The Suffren was a 90-gun Ship of the line of the French Navy named in honour of Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, lead ship of her class.The Suffren was the first ship of the line built with straight sides....
90 (1829) - Inflexible 90 (c. 1839)
Hercule
Hercule class ship of the line
The Hercule class was a late type of 100-gun ships of the line of the French Navy. While the first units were classical straight-walled ships of the line, next ones were gradually converted to steam, and the last one was built with an engine.- Design :...
class
- HerculeFrench ship Hercule (1836)The Hercule was a late 100-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.Captained by Joseph Grégoire Casy, Hercule distinguished herself in 1837 by beating in Rio de Janeiro and Newport....
100 (1836) - TageFrench ship TageThe Tage was a 100-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was laid down as Polyphème in 1824, renamed Saint Louis, and eventually Tage. She was launched only in 1847...
100 (1847) - Henri IV 100 (1848)
- Jemmapes 100 (1840)
- Lys 98 (1821)
- Montmorency (c. 1826)
- Jupiter 80 (1831)
- Généreux 74 (1831)
- ValmyFrench ship ValmyValmy, named after the Battle of Valmy, was the largest three-decker of the French Navy, and the largest tall ship ever built in France.-Design:Valmy was laid down at Brest in 1838 as Formidable and launched in 1847...
120 (1847) - Inflexible 82 - Same as previous Inflexible?
- Duperré 70
Second Republic (1848 to 1852) and Second EmpireSecond French EmpireThe Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
(1852 to 1870)
Later units of the 118-gun type, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades (see above).
- Ville de ParisFrench ship Ville de Paris (1851)The Ville de Paris was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Her keeled was in Rochefort in 1807 as Marengo. During her construction, she was renamed Ville de Vienne, Comte d'Artois during the Bourbon Restoration, Ville de Vienne again briefly during the Hundred Days and back...
114 (launched 5 October 1850 at Rochefort) - Laid down as Marengo, renamed Ville de Vienne 1814, renamed Comte d'Artois 1830. Rebuilt 1858, stricken 1882, BU 1898 - Louis XIVFrench ship Louis-XIV (1854)The Louis XIV was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Laid down as Tonnant 1811 at Rochefort, she was renamed to Louis-XIV in 1828, still on keel...
114 (launched 28 February 1854 at Rochefort) - Laid down in April 1811 as Tonnant, renamed Louis XIV in December 1828. Stricken 1880, BU 1882
- Suffren class ships of the line (further ships of this class)
- DonawerthFrench ship Donawerth (1854)The Donawerth was a 90-gun Suffren class ship of the line of the French Navy.Her keel was laid in Lorient in 1827. She stayed abandoned in an unbuilt state for several years before being completed as a steam ship...
80 (launched 15 February 1854 at Lorient) - Stricken 1872 - Tilsitt 80 (launched 30 March 1854 at Cherbourg) - Stricken 1872
- Saint Louis 80 (launched 25 April 1854 at Brest) - Training ship 1881
- Napoléon class screw ships of the line, designed by Dupuy de LômeDupuy de LomeDupuy de Lome may refer to:* Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, Spanish Minister to the United States in 1892* Henri Dupuy de Lôme, a French naval architect in the 19th century...
. Originally 3rd class, later redesignated as 2nd class. - NapoléonLe Napoléon (1850)The Napoléon was a 90-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, and the very first purpose-built steam battleship in the world . She is also considered the first true steam battleship, and the first screw battleship ever . Launched in 1850, she was the lead ship of a class of 9 battleships, all...
90 (launched 16 May 1850 at Toulon) - Stricken 1876 - Arcole 90 (launched 20 March 1855 at Cherbourg) - Stricken 1870
- Algésiras 90 (launched 4 October 1855 at Toulon) - Transport 1869
- Redoutable 90 (launched 25 October 1855 at Rochefort) - Stricken 1869
- Impérial 90 (launched 15 September 1856 at Brest) - Hulked 1869
- Ville de Nantes 90 (launched 7 August 1858 at Cherbourg) - Stricken 1872
- Ville de Bordeaux 90 (launched 21 May 1860 at Lorient) - Stricken 1879
- Ville de Lyon 90 (launched 26 February 1861 at Brest) - Stricken 1883
- Intrépide 90 (launched 17 September 1864 at Rochefort) - Stricken 1889
- Charlemagne 80 (launched 16 January 1851 at Toulon) - Transport 1867
- AusterlitzFrench ship Austerlitz (1852)The Austerlitz was a late 100-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Laid down as Ajax, she was renamed Austerlitz on 28 November 1839, still on keel.In 1850, her rigging was changed for that of a 90-gun, and a steam engine was installed....
90 (launched 15 September 1852 at Cherbourg) - Stricken 1872 - Jean BartFrench ship Jean Bart (1852)The Jean Bart was a 90-gun Suffren class ship of the line of the French Navy, named in honour of Jean Bart.She took part in the Siege of Sevastopol and the Battle of Kinburn ....
80 (launched 14 September 1852 at Lorient) - renamed Donawerth 1868 - Stricken 1880 - DuquesneFrench ship Duquesne (1847)The Duquesne was a 90-gun sail and steam ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War, shelling Sweaborg on 10 August 1855...
80 (launched 2 December 1853 at Brest) - Hulked 1867 - Fleurus 90 (launched 2 December 1853 at Toulon) - Stricken 1869
- Prince Jérôme 90 (launched 2 December 1853 at Lorient) - Transport 1872
- Tourville 80 (launched 31 October 1853 at Brest) - Stricken 1872
- Navarin 90 (launched 26 July 1854 at Toulon) - Transport 1873
- Ulm 90 (launched 13 May 1854 at Rochefort) - Hulk 1867
- Wagram 90 (launched 19 June 1854 at Lorient) - Stricken 1867
- BretagneFrench ship Bretagne (1855)The Bretagne was a fast 130-gun three-decker of the French Navy, designed by engineer Marielle. She was built after the Napoléon, and was fitted with a steam engine while under construction, though she had been laid down as a sail ship....
130 (launched 17 February 1855 at Brest) - Training ship 1866 - EylauFrench ship Eylau (1856)The Eylau was an converted fast screw ship of the line of the French Navy.Started as a 100-gun Hercule class ship of the line, Eylau was ordered converted to mixed propulsion in 1852, even before her keel was laid....
90 (launched 15 May 1856 at Toulon) - Stricken 1877 - Alexandre 90 (launched 1857 at Rochefort) - Stricken 1877
- Duguay-Trouin 90 (launched 29 March 1854 at Lorient) - Stricken 1872
- Tage 90 (launched 15 April 1847 at Brest) - Transport 1875
- Turenne 90 (launched 15 April 1854 at Rochefort) - Stricken 1867
- Breslaw 80 (launched 31 July 1848 at Brest) - Stricken 1872
- Bayard 80 (launched 28 August 1848 at Lorient) - Stricken 1872
- Duguesclin 80 (launched 3 May 1848 at Rochefort) - wrecked 1859
- Fontenoy 80 (launched November 1858 at Toulon) - Transport 1881
- Castiglione 90 (1860 at Toulon) - Stricken 1881
- Massena 90 (1860 at Toulon) - Stricken 1879
See also
- History of the French NavyHistory of the French NavyAlthough the History of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, its history can be said to effectively begin with Richelieu under Louis XIII.Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on the naval level:...
- :Category:French Navy ships of the line
- :Category:Royal Navy ships of the line
- Océan type 118-gun ship of the line
External links
- Répertoire de vaisseau de ligne français de 1781 à 1815
- 64 Gun Ship Fleuron - A highly detailed model of the 64 Gun Ship Fleuron.