Ship Type Menu.Sail ships of the line (3rd class, 80-90 guns)
INDOMPTABLE class (80, launched 1818-31)
SUFFREN class (90, launched 1829-54)
TOURVILLE class (90, converted 1852)
INDOMPTABLE class
sail ships of the line (3rd class, 80)Displacement: | 3704t |
Dimensions: | 191ft 10in wl, 194ft 6in deck x 50ft 1in mld, 51ft 11in ext x 23ft 9in mean, 25ft 0in max. Depth 22ft 4in |
Same, meters: | 58.47, 59.28 x 15.27, 15.82 x 7.23, 7.63m. 6.80m |
Masts: | Main 69ft 0in x 3ft 3in; Fore 60ft 8in x 3ft 1in; Mizzen 56ft 3in x 2ft 1in. Sail area 3411 sq.yd. (1854) Main 62ft 4in x 3ft 1in; Fore 55ft 9in x 3ft 1in; Mizzen 53ft 7in x 2ft 2in |
Armament: | (1817) GD 30-36p; UD 32-24p; SD 14-12p, 10-36p carr. (1828) Same but SD 20-36p carr., 4-18p. (c1837) Same but SD 20-30p carr., 4-16cm shell. |
Complement: | 811 |
Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
CENTAURE | Cherbourg | 11.11 | 8.1.18 | 10.2.23 | Stk. 5.11.49 |
NEPTUNE | Lorient | 12.10 | 21.3.18 | 16.8.39 | Stk. 11.1.58 |
ALGESIRAS | Lorient | 4.12 | 21.8.23 | 20.8.28 | Stk. 1847. |
JUPITER | Cherbourg | 11.11 | 22.10.31 | 20.11.35 | Stk. 4.5.63. |
Class. Other ships of this type, modeled on a ship designed by Sané and launched in 1790, were already afloat in 1816. The height of the lower battery was 5ft 10in. The rig of the type was reduced in the late 1840s or early 1850s after successful trials in
Jupiter.
Neptune, originally
Brabançon, was renamed 29.8.14 and 15.7.15.
Centaure was renamed
Santi Petri 13.10.23 after a recent victory in Spain.
Disposals. Santi Petri became a prison hulk and was lost by fire 4.1.62.
Neptune became a prison hulk and was BU 1868.
Jupiter became a barracks hulk and was BU 1870.
SUFFREN class
sail ships of the line (3rd class, 90)Displacement: | 4058t |
Dimensions: | 197ft 5in wl, 198ft 6in deck x 51ft 8in mld, 53ft 5in ext x 24ft 3in mean, 25ft 3in max. Depth 22ft 10in |
Same, meters: | 60.17, 60.50 x 15.75, 16.28 x 7.40, 7.70m. 6.97m |
Masts: | Main 66ft 5in x 3ft 5in; Fore 60ft 8in x 3ft 3in; Mizzen 57ft 5in x 2ft 3in. Sail area 3743 sq.yd. |
Armament: | (Design) GD 30-30p No.1; UD 32-30p No.2; SD 24-30p carr., 4-18p. (Suffren and Inflexible, 1839-40) GD 26-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; UD 32-30p No.2; SD 24-30p carr., 4-16cm shell. (Bayard and Duguesclin c1850) GD 22-30p No.1, 8-22cm No.1 shell; UD 24-30p No.2, 8-22cm No.2 shell; SD 20-30p carr., 4-16cm shell. (Breslaw, Tilsitt, and Suffren 1854) GD 26-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; UD 28-30p No.2, 4-22cm No.2 shell; SD 20-30p carr., 4-16cm shell in Breslaw, 20-16cm shell in Tilsitt, 24-30p carr., 4-30p No.3 in Suffren. |
Complement: | 811 |
Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
SUFFREN | Cherbourg | 8.24 | 27.8.29 | 10.3.31 | Stk. 4.4.61 |
INFLEXIBLE | Rochefort | 18.8.27 | 21.11.39 | 24.8.40 | Stk. 31.12.64 |
BAYARD | Lorient | 1.7.23 | 28.8.47 | 1.5.50 | Steam 1859 |
DUGUESCLIN | Rochefort | 16.3.23 | 3.5.48 | 3.6.50 | Steam 1858 |
BRESLAW | Brest | 26.5.27 | 31.7.48 | 1.3.54 | Steam 1856 |
CHARLEMAGNE | Toulon | 4.34 | -- | -- | Steam 1851 |
JEAN BART | Lorient | 26.1.49 | -- | -- | Steam 1852 |
TILSITT | Cherbourg | 2.3.32 | 30.3.54 | 20.5.54 | Steam 1856 |
DONAWERTH | Lorient | 27.7.27 | 15.2.54 | 1.5.54 | Steam 1857 |
SAINT LOUIS | Brest | 13.7.48 | 25.4.54 | 20.5.54 | Steam 1857 |
ALEXANDRE | Rochefort | 26.5.48 | -- | -- | Steam 1857 |
FONTENOY | Toulon | 6.27 | -- | -- | Steam 1858 |
MASSENA | Toulon | 9.35 | -- | -- | Steam 1860 |
CASTIGLIONE | Toulon | 10.35 | -- | -- | Steam 1860 |
Class. This type was designed by a commission along lines suggested by Baron Tupinier. It was intended to replace the 74 as the standard ship of the line in the French navy (reinforced in battle fleets by a smaller number of 100-gun and 120-gun ships). The design followed Sané's successful 80 gun ship as closely as possible, but was enlarged to carry a larger armament at a greater height above the waterline (6ft 7in instead of 6ft 2in). The plans were completed in 1.24.
Suffren quickly earned the class a good reputation for sailing qualities.
Inflexible was completed with a rounded stern which served as a model for conversions of other ships after the late 1840s.
Two more ships,
Ajax and
Diomède, were among five line of battle ships scheduled to be begun at Brest in 1829 but cancelled in late 1828 before orders were placed. Another,
Argonaute, was scheduled to be begun at Toulon in 1837 but was deferred and cancelled in 1838.
Breslaw,
Donawerth, and
Tilsitt, originally named
Achille,
Alexandre, and
Diomède respectively, were renamed 23.11.39.
Charlemagne,
Masséna, and
Saint Louis, originally
Hector,
Sceptre, and
Achille respectively, were renamed 2.4.50.
Suffren relieved the frigate
Uranie and served as gunnery training ship at Toulon in 1855-60.
Disposals. Suffren became a barracks and supply hulk at Toulon. She was renamed
Ajax 8.4.65, was replaced by
Jupiter 1872, and was BU 1874.
Inflexible became a boys' training ship in 1861 and was BU 1876.
TOURVILLE class
sail ships of the line (3rd class, 90)Displacement: | 3750 |
Dimensions: | 195ft 7in wl, 198ft 3in deck x 53ft 3in mld, 54ft 9in ext x 23ft 9in mean |
Same, meters: | 59.61, 60.42 x 16.24, 16.69 x 7.23m |
Masts: | As Hercule |
Armament: | (Design) GD 26-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; UD 32-30p No.2; SD 24-30p carr., 4-16cm shell |
Complement: | 811 |
Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
TOURVILLE | Brest | 26.8.47 | -- | -- | Steam 1853 |
DUQUESNE | Brest | 4.8.47 | -- | -- | Steam 1853 |
Class. These ships were designed as razeed 3-deckers. They were near copies of Sané's 3-deck 110-gun
Iéna, itself a slightly shortened version of the original
Océan class.
Iéna was razeed to a 2-deck 90-gun ship 1826-33 and proved highly successful. Leroux's plans for the new ships, approved in 6.47, duplicated Sané's design as closely as possible. The new ships were, however, given new-style round sterns. Because of the origin of their design, they had a hull capacity substantially greater than other 3rd-class ships and were rerated as 2nd-class ships when converted to steam.
Copyright © Stephen S. Roberts 2004-2015.