French ship Impérial (1811)
1/48 scale model of the Océan class 120-gun ship of the line Commerce de Marseille, sister-ship of the Impérial. On display at Marseille naval museum.
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| History | |
|---|---|
| France | |
| Builder | François Poncet, Toulon Dyd |
| Laid down | July 1810 |
| Launched | 1 December 1811 |
| Completed | August 1812 |
| Fate | Broken up 1825 |
| 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 |
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Impérial was a first-rate 118-gun Océan-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the 1810s. Completed in 1812, the ship was the French flagship during the Action of 5 November 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars. She was condemned in 1825 and was subsequently scrapped.
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
Impérial was ordered on 4 June 1810 and was laid down at the Arsenal de Toulon on 2 July. The ship was named on 14 July, launched on 1 December 1811. She was completed in August 1812 and commissioned on 24 August.[2] The ship was renamed Royal Louis in April 1814 following the downfall of the First Empire, but resumed the name Impérial in March 1815 when Napoléon returned to France. After the Hundred Days and the restitution of Louis XVIII, she was again renamed Royal Louis on 15 July 1815. The ship was briefly armed on 29 April 1816, but was disarmed on 11 June. She was condemned on 31 March 1825 and broken up later that year.[3]
Citations
References
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671–1870. p. 251. 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