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French Navy
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This is a list of French ships of the line of the period 1621–1870 (plus some from the period before 1621). Battlefleet units in the French Navy (Marine Royale before the French Revolution established a republic) were categorised as vaisseaux (literally "vessels") as distinguished from lesser warships such as frigates (frégates). The vaisseaux were classified according to size and/or firepower into a series of Rangs (ranks), roughly equivalent to the system of Rates used by the British Navy, although these did not correspond exactly. By 1671 there was a system of five Rangs, which officially pertained for over a century; the first three of these Rangs comprised the battlefleet vaisseaux, while the Fourth and Fifth Rangs comprised the larger frigates ("frégates-vaisseaux" or simply "frégates"). In practice, by the early decades of the 18th century the formal ranking system among the vaisseaux had in practice been overtaken by a division based on the number of carriage guns borne in practice by individual ships.

The article is divided into sections according to the Head of State at the time, which names are provided as chronological references.

Note that throughout this article the term "-pounder" refers to French pre-metric units of weight (livres), which were almost 8% greater than UK/US units of the same name; every other maritime power likewise established its own system of weights and each country's 'pound' was different from that of every other nation. Similarly, French pre-metric units of length (pieds and pouces) were 6.575% longer than equivalent UK/US units of measurement; the pre-metric French foot was equivalent to 324.8394 mm, whereas the UK/US foot equalled 304.8 mm. These differences should be taken into account in any calculations based on the units given below.

Valois-Angoulême dynasty (1515 to 1589)

Francis I was the first of the five French Kings of the Valois-Angoulême dynasty, who reigned from 1515 to 1589:

The application of the Salic law meant that with the extinction of the Valois in the male line, the Bourbons succeeded to the throne as descendants of Louis IX. Very few of the names of French ships of this era are known.

Henri IV (1589 to 1610)

Louis XIII (1610 to 1643)

The first seven years of this reign were under the Regency of Marie de Médicis, the consort of Henri IV – Louis XIII's father, who had been assassinated in 1610. Following the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré and the Siege of La Rochelle, and in line with his general efforts to enhance the prestige and status of France in Europe, the Cardinal de Richelieu had a number of warships purchased from Holland, and eventually built in France by Holland-instructed French engineers. The largest of these early ships of the line, such as the famous 72-gun Couronne launched in 1638, would mount a number of guns comparable to later units of the 18th and 19th century, but the brunt of these ships would mount between 20 and 40 guns. The artillery was also comparatively lighter: the Couronne mounted 18-pounder long guns on her main battery, where any of the numerous 74-gun ships of the line that formed the backbone of the Navy from the late 18th century would mount 36-pounder long guns and 18-pounders would become common on frigates.

Ships of the Line ("vaisseaux")

When Richelieu decided to renew the French Royal Navy in 1625, he began by ordering a number of warships to be built in Holland, as the French shipbuilding industry was not at that date capable of constructing them in sufficient quantity. However, in the interim, before these new ships could be built, he arranged to fill the gap by leasing or hiring a number of Dutch and English ships. In June 1625 he procured twenty Dutch warships, of which one was lost in action on 16 July and another on 17 September; the remaining eighteen ships were returned to the Dutch on 10 March 1626. In July 1625 he also hired the English Second rate warship Vanguard, and in August added six ships hired from the English East India Company; all these were returned to their owners on 26 May 1626. As these were never at any date owned by the French, they are excluded from the list below.

Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies in the Louis XIII era

Note only prizes put into service with the Marine Royale are included here.

Louis XIV (1643 to 1715)

Aft of Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder
Naval parade organised by Maurepas

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 Jules Mazarin, who served as Chief Minister from 1642, and Louis XIV did not achieve personal rule until the death of Cardinal Mazarin in March 1661.

The French rating system was historically a division into three Ranks, but a new system of four Ranks was provisionally created in 1669; however a new system quickly replaced this in 1671. Earlier vessels are shown under the rating they were given in 1671 – in the case of vessels deleted prior to 1671, these are included according to the rate they would have been given in 1671 had they not been deleted. Under this new system, French major warships were from 1671 divided into five ranks or "Rangs"; ships of the line (vaisseaux) were divided into the highest three ranks.

The original rating system was thoroughly reformed under Colbert's administration two years later, on 24 June 1671, and the overwhelming majority of French warships underwent name changes at that date; vessels are listed below under their original name at time of launching or acquisition, even if they subsequently were better known by the name they were given later.

Vessels of the Fourth and Fifth Ranks were categorised as frigates (frégates or frégates-vaisseaux) of the 1st Order and 2nd Order respectively; light frigates (frégates légères) and even smaller vessels were excluded from the rating system.

First Rank Ships ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang")

From 1670, the First Rank could be categorised as ships of the line carrying more than 70 carriage guns (although other factors also played a part in determining what Rank a ship was given); in 1690 this was limit was effectively risen to ships carrying 80 or more guns.

Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Extraordinaire

The largest and most heavily armed First Rank ships, effectively those carrying 100 carriage guns or more, were placed in a sub-category of Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Extraordinaire. Only a few of these were built, but they always provided the flagships of the two Fleets – the Flotte du Levant (on the Mediterranean coast of France) and the Flotte du Ponant (on the Atlantic and Channel coasts). They were all full three-deckers, i.e. with three full-length gun decks, with the uppermost of these surmounted by an armed forecastle, quarterdeck and poop.

Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Ordinaire

While the smaller First Rank ships also had three full-length gun decks, the uppermost of these before 1690 generally carried carriage guns only on the forward section and on the after section of that deck, with a section between them in the waist of the ship where no guns were mounted (and no gunports fitted). These ships had no forecastle or poop, so that the two sections of the upper gun deck served the function of forecastle and quarterdeck, while the nominal quarterdeck was short and served in effect the function of a poop.

All First Rank ships built from 1689 (until 1740) had three full-length gun decks, usually plus a number of smaller carriage guns mounted on the gaillards (i.e. the quarterdeck, forecastle and possibly a poop deck). Some of the earlier ships built before 1689 received extra guns and gunports fitted in the waist section of their upper deck around 1689, to bring them up to 80 guns or more.

Second Rank Ships ("vaisseaux de Deuxième Rang")

Before 1670, the Second Rank consisted of ships of the line carrying from 50 up to 64 carriage guns (although there were exceptions); from 1671 this comprised ships of between 62 and 68 guns; in 1683 this was comprised ships carrying from 64 to 76 guns (again with exceptions), and by 1710 even 64-gun ships had been reduced to the Third Rate. Most Second Rank ships were two-decked vessels, i.e. carrying two complete gundecks, usually plus a few smaller carriage guns mounted on the gaillards; however, the Second Rank initially also included numerous ships nominally described as three-deckers (although all had a break in the 3rd tier of guns or "upper deck") launched up until 1682, after which all three-deckers were First Rates; these three-deckers are listed below before the two-deckers.

Nominal three-decked ships:

Two-decked ships:

Third Rank Ships ("vaisseaux de Troisième Rang")

From 1670, the Third Rank was defined as ships of the line carrying from 40 up to 50 carriage guns; in 1671 this was redefined as ships carrying from 48 to 60 guns. Initially during the first part of Louis XIV's reign these were designed and constructed as three-decked ships without forecastles and with minimal quarterdecks, although their upper decks were divided at the waist by an unarmed section of deck; but from about 1670 it was ruled that ships with fewer than 70 guns should not be built with three decks, so all subsequent Third Rank ships were two-decked vessels, i.e. carrying two complete gundecks, usually plus a few smaller carriage guns mounted on the gaillards (the quarterdeck and forecastle). During the first decade of the 18th century, the remaining Second Rank ships with 64 or fewer guns were down-graded (without change of armament) to Third Rank.

Fourth Rank Ships ("vaisseaux de Quatrième Rang")

See also: List of French sail frigates

From 1670, the French Quatrième Rang consisted of vessels with two complete batteries ("two-deckers") armed with from 30 to 40 guns. From 1671, this was redefined as vessels armed with from 36 to 46 guns, and those vessels with fewer than 36 guns were re-classed as Fifth Rank ships; in 1683 this was revised again to include only two-decked ships with from 40 to 46 guns. These ships were also described as frigates (frégates) of the 1st Order.

Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies in the Louis XIV era

Louis XV (1715 to 1774)

(Great-grandson of Louis XIV) As Louis XV was only 5½ years old when he succeeded to the French throne, the first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Chartres, the nephew of Louis XIV. While the five Rangs theoretically remained in existence, the construction by 1715 had crystallised around a number of distinct types, based on the number of carriage guns which they each carried.

First Rank ships ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang") in the Louis XV era

Three-decker type

Only four three-decker ships were completed during this reign of nearly sixty years; a fifth was destroyed before completion.

First Rank ships of the Louis XV era
  • Decorations intended for Royal Louis (1743)
    Decorations intended for Royal Louis (1743)
  • Model of the fictitious ship Sans Pareil that defined the type of Royal Louis (1758)
    Model of the fictitious ship Sans Pareil that defined the type of Royal Louis (1758)
  • Ville de Paris in Rochefort, 1764
    Ville de Paris in Rochefort, 1764
  • Scale model of Bretagne, on display at Brest naval museum
    Scale model of Bretagne, on display at Brest naval museum

Two-decker type: 80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80")

Large two-deckers, with a weight of broadside equal to the three-deckers of Louis XIV's period, served usually as fleet flagships.

74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74") of the Louis XV era

These formed overwhelmingly the core of the French battlefleet throughout the 18th century. Initially these carried just 26 guns – all 36-pounders – in their first (lower deck) battery and 28 guns in their second (upper deck) battery, with 16 guns on the gaillards (quarterdeck and forecastle) – the total of 74 guns being achieved by having 4 small guns (4-pounders) on the 'dunette' (poop); this applied to twelve of the first thirteen vessels listed below. The exception in this group was the 70-gun Aimable, which – while having the same number of ports (except for the poop, where the 4-pounder guns on other ships were never included) – had only 24-pounders in its first (lower deck) battery. The 4-pounders were removed from the poop of all active units of this type by about 1750, reducing each to a 70-gun ship.

From the Terrible (of 1739) onwards, the lengthened hulls of new ships meant that they could mount an extra pair of guns on the lower deck and another extra pair on the upper deck; the 4 small guns on the dunette were henceforth abolished. The consequent armament of 28 guns (36-pounders) in their lower deck battery and 30 guns (18-pounders) in their upper deck battery, with 16 guns on the gaillards, thus became the standard for the next 75 years.

Note that the Destin and Fendant are included here as they were begun under Louis XV's reign, although neither was launched until after 1774.

64-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 64") of the Louis XV era

The 60 or 62 (later 64-gun) gun ship built from 1717 onwards continued the practice of similarly-armed vessels built in the first decade of the century. They were two-deckers with a "first tier" (or lower deck) battery of twenty-four 24-pounder guns and a "second tier" (upper deck) battery of twenty-six 12-pounder guns, supplemented by between ten and fourteen 6-pounder guns mounted on the gaillards (forecastle and quarterdeck).

The Borée, longer than previous 64s, had managed to fit in a thirteenth pair of 24-pounder guns on the lower deck. Subsequent 64s managed to fit in a fourteenth pair of 12-pounder guns on the upper deck as well, with the number of 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck reduced to six (and still with four 6-pounders on the forecastle).

Three French East India Company ships were purchased by the Navy in April 1770; all designed and built by Antoine Groignard and Gilles Cambry.

Four further ships were begun before 1774, but were launched in Louis XIV's reign (see section below)

Two-deckers of 56 guns with 36-pounder main battery

Two-deckers of 50–60 guns (mainly "vaisseaux de 50") with 18-pounder or 24-pounder main battery

Small two-deckers of 42 – 48 guns ("vaisseaux de 40 à 48") of the Louis XV era

Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies in the Louis XV era

Louis XVI (1774 to 1792)

First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang") of the Louis XVI era

110-gun three-decker group of 1780. Three different constructeurs designed these ships; the first two were by François-Guillaume Clairain-Deslauriers and Léon-Michel Guignace respectively, while the Toulon pair were by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb. Typically each carried 30 × 36-pdr guns on the lower deck, 32 × 24-pdr guns on the middle deck, 32 × 12-pdr guns on the upper deck, and 16 × 8-pdr guns on the gaillards, although this armament varied from time to time.

First Rates of the Louis XVI era

Océan class (sometimes called "États de Bourgogne class" or "Dauphin Royal class") – Three-deckers of 118 guns (usually called 120-gun), designed by Jacques-Noël Sané. Each carried 32 × 36-pdr guns on the lower deck, 34 × 24-pdr guns on the middle deck, 34 × 12-pdr guns on the upper deck, and 18 × 8-pdr guns on the gaillards.

Océan-class ships of the Louis XVI era

80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80") of the Louis XVI era

Tonnant class (1787 onwards) – Following his standard design for 74-gun ships (see Téméraire class below), Jacques-Noël Sané then produced a standard design (approved on 29 September 1787) for an 80-gun ship, to which 8 ships were eventually built.

74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74") of the Louis XVI era

Two ships which were begun before 1774 were completed later; see 'Fendant (1776) and Destin (1777) under 1715–1774 section above.

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 Coulomb, 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:-

64-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 64") of the Louis XVI era

Captured or otherwise acquired from other navies in the Louis XVI era

First Republic (1792 to 1804)

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.

First Rates ("vaisseaux de Premier Rang") of the First Republic

Dauphin Royal class (continued)

118-gun ships of the First Republic

80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80") of the First Republic

Tonnant class (continued)

80-gun ships of the First Republic

74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74") of the First Republic

Téméraire class (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. They were begun in 1793 and 1794 respectively as Lion and Magnanime, but were renamed Glorieux (subsequently Cassard) and Quatorze Juillet in 1798; the second ship became Vétéran in 1802.

Cassard-class ships of the First Republic
  • Vétéran escaping into the shallow waters of Concarneau harbour. Painting by Michel Bouquet, on display at Brest Fine arts museum.
    Vétéran escaping into the shallow waters of Concarneau harbour. Painting by Michel Bouquet, on display at Brest Fine arts museum.

Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies during the First Republic

First Empire (1804 to 1815)

Napoléon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor on 18 May 1804 and ruled until he abdicated on 6 April 1814, at which time the Bourbon monarchy resumed under Louis XVIII. The Empire was briefly 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.

118-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 118") of the First Empire

Later Dauphin Royal class (118-gun ships, continued)

118-gun ships of the First Empire

110-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 110") of the First Empire

Commerce de Paris class, design by Jacques-Noël Sané, shortened from his 118-gun design by removing one pair of guns from each deck.

110-gun ships of the First Empire

90-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 90") of the First Empire

This group comprised two small three-deckers built at Rotterdam from 1799 for the Batavian Navy, and annexed to France when the Dutch state was absorbed by the French Empire in 1810. Both were reclassed as 80-gun ships in April 1811.

Chattam-class 90-gun ships designed by P. Glavimans.

80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80") of the First Empire

Bucentaure class 80-gun ships designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, a modification of the 80-ship Tonnant class listed above. 21 ships were launched to this design, of which 16 were afloat by the end of 1814

80-gun ships of the First Empire

74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74") of the First Empire

Téméraire class (continued)

Téméraire-class ships of the First Empire

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.

Pluton-class ships of the First Empire

Captured or otherwise acquired from foreign navies 1805–1810

Restored French Monarchy (1815–1848)

The Bourbon dynasty was restored (following Napoleon's "Hundred Days") under Louis XVIII in June 1815. He died 16 September 1824 and was succeeded by his brother Charles X who abdicated on 2 August 1830. Louis-Philippe reigned from 9 August 1830 until overthrown on 24 February 1848. The Second French Republic was established briefly from 1848 (until 1852).
This section of the article includes all ships of the line launched from July 1815 to February 1848.

118-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 118") of the Restoration

Later Dauphin Royal class (continued) Later units of the 118-gun type, begun during the First Empire, were completed at various dates over the next few decades.

118-gun ships of the Restoration

80-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 80") of the Restoration

Bucentaure class (continued)

80-gun ships of the Restoration
  • Loss of a longboat of Algésiras in a storm, 9 August 1831.
    Loss of a longboat of Algésiras in a storm, 9 August 1831.

74-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 74") of the Restoration

Téméraire class (continued)

74-gun ships of the Restoration

90-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 90") of the Restoration

Suffren class, of the Commission de Paris

90-gun ships of the Restoration

100-gun ships ("vaisseaux de 100") of the Restoration

Hercule class, of the Commission de Paris

100-gun ships of the Restoration

120-gun ship of the Restoration

Other ships of the Restoration

Second Republic (1848 to 1852) and Second Empire (1852 to 1870)

Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte) became president in December 1848 following the abdication in 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.

Océan-class ships of the line

Two further units of the Océan class were built to an altered design, with a thumblehome reduced by 20 centimetres, increasing space available on the upper decks. The design later inspired an aborted Bretagne class which, furthered altered to incorporate the "swift battleship" concept of the Napoléon class, would yield the 130-gun Bretagne, the ultimate wooden capital ship of the French Navy.

118-gun ships of the Second Republic and Second Empire

Hercule-class ships of the line (further ships of this class)

The ships of the Hercule class, designed to be 100-gun sailing ships of the line, were modified and transformed into 90-gun steam ships of the line

118-gun ships of the Second Republic and Second Empire

Suffren-class ships of the line (further ships of this class)

The ships of the Suffren class, designed to be 90-gun sailing ships of the line, were modified and transformed into 80-gun steam ships of the line

Suffren-class ships of the Second Republic and Second Empire
  • Portrait of Alexandre as a gunnery school ship, her engine removed after 1873. by François Roux.
    Portrait of Alexandre as a gunnery school ship, her engine removed after 1873. by François Roux.

Tourville-class ships of the line

The Tourville class was built along the line of razeed Océan-class three-deckers, giving them good stability and carrying capacity, but poor manoeuvrability for their size.

Napoléon-class screw ships of the line

Designed by Henri Dupuy de Lôme as "swift ships of the line", the Napoléon class was the first to be designed from the conception to be steam battleships. Originally 3rd class, later redesignated as 2nd class.

Algésiras sub-class

Ville de Nantes sub-class

Napoléon-class screw ships of the line
  • Napoléon, first steam battleship in history
    Napoléon, first steam battleship in history

Bretagne-class screw ships of the line

Capital ship designed on the same principles as the swift ships of the line of the Napoléon class

Bretagne-class screw ships of the line

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Note that in 1837 the surviving 80-gun ships were re-armed and re-designated as 86-gun ships (with 14 × 12-pounder guns and 10 × 36-pounder carronades on the gaillards).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Note that in 1837 the surviving 74-gun ships were re-armed and re-designated as 80-gun ships.

Citations

  1. ^ Roche, vol.1, p.337
  2. ^ Vaisseaux de 100 à voiles Archived 13 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, la Flotte de Napoléon III 1850 – 1870
  3. ^ Roche, vol. 1, p. 450

References

External links

French Navy ship of the line classes timeline, 1750s–1900s
Warships of France
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