French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861 French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861 Design, Construction, Careers and Fates R W & S S R IF INFIELD TEPHEN OBERTS FRONTISPIECE: An oil painting by Jules Achille Noël celebrating the royal visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Cherbourg on 5 August 1858 at the invitation of Napoleon III. The French emperor welcomed his guests aboard the Bretagne, a three-decker screw ship of the line, the central focus of the painting. (© National Maritime Museum BHC0637) Copyright © Rif Winfield & Stephen S Roberts 2015 This edition first published in Great Britain in 2015 by Seaforth Publishing, An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2AS www.seaforthpublishing.com Email: [email protected] British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 84832 204 2 eISBN 978 1 84832 353 7 Mobi ISBN 978 1 84832 352 0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing of both the copyright owner and the above publisher. The right of Rif Winfield & Stephen S Roberts to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Structure and Organisation of the Book Historical Overview Chronology French Naval Operations Dockyards and Infrastructure French Navies and Naval Construction outside France, 1797-1814 Sources and Bibliography Glossary and Abbreviations List of the French Fleet as at 1 January 1786. Chapter 1: The Three-deckers (A) Vessels in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Vessels acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Vessels acquired from 25 March 1802 (D) Vessels acquired from 26 June 1815 (E) Screw three-deckers Chapter 2: Two-decker Ships of the Line, 80 to 100 guns (A) Vessels in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Vessels acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Vessels acquired from 25 March 1802 (D) Vessels acquired from 26 June 1815 (E) Screw two-deckers, 2nd and 3rd Ranks Chapter 3: Two-decker Ships of the Line, 74 guns and below. Two-deckers with fewer than 60 guns (A) Vessels in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Vessels acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Vessels acquired from 25 March 1802 64-gun two-deckers (A) Vessels in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Vessels acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Vessels acquired from 25 March 1802 74-gun two-deckers (A) Vessels in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Vessels acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Vessels acquired from 25 March 1802 (D) Vessels acquired from 26 June 1815 (E) Screw two-deckers, 4th (and 3rd) Rank Chapter 4: The Larger Frigates (24-, 30-, and 36-pounder Frigates) (A) Larger frigates in service or on order at 1 January 1786 (B) Larger frigates acquired from 1 January 1786 (C) Larger frigates acquired from 25 March 1802 (D) Larger frigates acquired from 26 June 1815 (E) Screw frigates, 1st and 2nd Ranks