French ship Auguste (1779)

Auguste was an 80-gun ship of the line in the French Navy, laid down in 1777 and in active service from 1779. She took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War and later in the French Revolutionary Wars, notably fighting at the Combat de Prairial. She was lost with most hands during the Croisière du Grand Hiver in January 1795.

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Auguste and French ship Jacobin.
Auguste fighting at the Battle of the Chesapeake
History
French Navy Ensign French Navy Ensign French Navy EnsignFrance
NameAuguste
NamesakeAugustus, Jacobin Club, Thermidorian Reaction
BuilderBrest
Laid downDecember 1777[1]
Launched18 September 1778[1]
In serviceMarch 1779[1]
FateFoundered off Brest on 29 January 1795, most hands lost.[1]
General characteristics
Type80-gun ship of the line
Displacement1900 tonnes[1]
Length60.4 m (198 ft)[1]
Beam14.9 m (49 ft)[1]
Draught7.8 m (26 ft)[1]
PropulsionSail
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement780
Armament80 guns
ArmourTimber

Service

Soon after her commissioning, from June to September 1779, Auguste patroles the Channel under Captain de Rochechouart. She took part in the Battle of St. Lucia, the Battle of Fort Royal and the Battle of the Chesapeake under Captain Castellan, as flagship of the Blue-and-White squadron under Chef d'Escadre Bougainville.[2] She was also at the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782. [3][2]

In 1793, she was renamed to Jacobin and was part of the Brest squadron. She was involved in the Quibéron mutinies in September 1793.

The next year, she took part in the Combat de Prairial, where she followed the flagship Montagne, and failed to prevent HMS Queen Charlotte from breaking the French line.

In December 1794, she was renamed Neuf Thermidor. On 29 January, as she took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, she was caught in a tempest off Brest and wrecked with the loss of most of her crew.

Citations
  1. Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 57. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
  2. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 648.
  3. Troude (1867), p. 140.

References


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