French ship Magnanime (1803)

History
France
NameMagnanime
BuilderRochefort
Laid downJune 1802
Launched18 August 1803
Decommissioned1816
FateBroken up 1820
General characteristics (as built)
Class & typeLengthened Téméraire-class ship of the line
Displacement3200 tonneaux
Tons burthen1,600 port tonneaux
Length56.47 m (185 ft 3 in)
Beam14.73 m (48 ft 4 in)
Draught7.47 m (24.5 ft)
Depth of hold7.23 m (23 ft 9 in)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Crew735
Armament

Magnanime was a 4th rank, 74-gun Lengthened Téméraire-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the 1790s designed by Jacques-Noël Sané. Completed in 1803, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Description

The Lengthened Téméraire-class ships had an length of 56.47 metres (185 ft 3 in), a beam of 14.73 metres (48 ft 4 in) and a depth of hold of 7.23 metres (23 ft 9 in). The ships displaced 3,200 tonneaux and had a mean draught of 7.15 metres (23 ft 5 in). They had a tonnage of 1,600 port tonneaux. Their crew numbered 735 officers and ratings during wartime. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged.[1]

The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Lengthened Téméraire class consisted of twenty-eight 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck and thirty 24-pounder long guns on the upper gun deck. On the quarterdeck, forecastle and poop deck (dunette) were a total of sixteen 8-pounder long guns and four 36-pounder obusiers.[1]

Construction and career

Magnanime was ordered on 19 June 1794 and was named in October. She was laid down at the Arsenal de Brest on 10 November.[1] The ship was renamed Quattorze Juillet on 7 May 1798 and then Vétéran on 6 December 1802.[3] She was launched on 18 July 1803, commissioned on 24 September and completed in December.[1] During the Atlantic campaign of 1805–1806 the ship was commanded by Captain Jérôme Bonaparte. After her return to France the ship was blockaded in Concarneau, Brittany, until 1811. Vétéran was condemned on 26 October 1833, but was not demolished until November 1841–November 1842.[3]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Winfield & Roberts, p. 90
  2. ^ Marley, David F. (11 February 2008). Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 2nd Edition [2 volumes]: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere. ISBN 9781598841015.
  3. ^ a b Roche, p. 461

References

  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours [Dictionary of French Warships from Colbert to Today]. Vol. 1: 1671-1870. Roche. 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