French frigate Flore (1806)

Flore was a 44-gun[1] or 40-gun[2][3] Armide-class frigate of the French Navy.

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Flore.

A 1⁄48 scale model of Flore on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris
History
France
NameFlore
NamesakeFlora
Ordered3 August 1804
BuilderRochefort, plans by Pierre-Jacques-Nicolas Rolland
Laid down1 July 1805
Launched11 November 1806
Acquired14 June 1810
Commissioned1807
Stricken27 November 1811
FateWrecked 30 November 1811
General characteristics
Class and typeArmide-class frigate
Displacement1330 tonnes
Length47 m (154 ft)
Beam12 m (39 ft)
Draught5.5 m (18 ft)
PropulsionSail
Armament
  • 44 guns:
  • 28 × 18-pounders
  • 16 × 8-pounders
  • 2 × 6-pounders
  • 2 × 36-pounder carronades
ArmourTimber

Service history

In 1808, she was part of Ganteaume's squadron that cruised in the Mediterranean.

Flore (fifth from left) at the Battle of Lissa, 1811, by Robert Dodd

On 12 March 1811, she was part of Bernard Dubourdieu's squadron sailing to raid the British commerce raider base of the island of Lissa. The squadron encountered William Hoste's frigate squadron, leading to the Battle of Lissa.[4][5]

In the ensuing fight, Flore was distanced by her flagship Favorite, which engaged the British flagship HMS Amphion, and ran aground. Flore and Bellona caught on and engaged Amphion in a crossfire. Amphion outmanoeuvred Flore and raked her for ten minutes, after which Flore struck her colours.[1]

The battle still raging, the British failed to send a capture crew aboard, and Flore eventually joined the surviving Carolina and Danaé and fleeing to Ragusa.

Flore was wrecked in a tempest off Chioggia on 30 November 1811, with the loss of 75. Her commanding officer, Frigate Captain Lissilour, was acquitted by the court martial.

A 1⁄48 shipyard model of Flore, originally part of the Trianon model collection, is on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris.

References
  1. "Battle of Lissa (1811)". 8 December 2012.
  2. "French Naval Force in the Mediterranean, April, 1811". Enquirer. Vol. 8, no. 18. Richmond, VA. 9 July 1811.
  3. "The Last of Nelson's Captains". The Newcastle Chronicle. 27 May 1869. ISSN 2200-6915.
  4. "Dubourdieu". Archived from the original on 19 February 2014.
  5. "Bataille de Lissa". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.

Bibliography
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 205. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
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