French ship Austerlitz (1808)
1/48 scale model of the Océan class 120-gun ship of the line Commerce de Marseille, sister-ship of the Austerlitz. On display at Marseille naval museum.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| France | |
| Name | Austerlitz |
| Ordered | 1805 |
| Launched | 15 August 1808 |
| Completed | 1809 |
| Fate | Broken, 1837 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Océan-class ship of the line |
| Displacement | 5,095 t (5,015 long tons) |
| Tons burthen | 2,794–2,930 (bm) |
| Length | 63.83 m (209 ft 5 in) (gun deck) |
| Beam | 16.4 m (53 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 8.14 m (26 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion | sail, 3,250 m2 (35,000 sq ft) |
| Sail plan | full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 1,130 |
| Armament |
|
Austerlitz was a first-rate 118-gun Océan-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the first decade of the 19th century. Completed in 1809, the ship did not play a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars. She was refitted in 1821–1822, but was never recommissioned afterwards.
Description
The later Océan-class ships had an length of 63.83 metres (209 ft 5 in) at the gun deck a beam of 16.4 metres (53 ft 10 in) and a depth of hold of 8.12 metres (26 ft 8 in). The ships displaced 5,095 tonnes (5,015 long tons) and had a mean draught of 8.14 metres (26 ft 8 in). They had a tonnage of 2,794–2,930 tons burthen. Their crew numbered 1,130 officers and ratings. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged with a sail area of 3,250 square metres (35,000 sq ft).[1]
The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Océan class consisted of thirty-two 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck, thirty-four 24-pounder long guns on the middle gun deck and on the upper gundeck were thirty-four 18-pounder long guns. On the quarterdeck and forecastle were a total of fourteen 8-pounder long guns and a dozen 36-pounder carronades.[2]
Career
Austerlitz was ordered on 19 December 1805 and was laid down at the Arsenal de Toulon on 10 April. The ship was launched on 15 August 1808, commissioned on 16 August 1809 and completed later that month.[2] On 29 August 1814, after the Hundred Days, she was transferred from Toulon to Brest, along with Wagram and Commerce de Paris, where she was disarmed on 1 December. Austerlitz received a lengthy refit in 1821–1822, but was never recommissioned afterwards. The ship was eventually struck on 8 March 1837 and subsequently broken up.[3]
Citations
References
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671–1870. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
- Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S. (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2