French ship Vengeur (1803)
 The Battle of San Domingo: Impérial harassed by the much weaker HMS Northumberland before being driven ashore. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Namesake: | Vengeur du Peuple[1] |
| Laid down: | October 1793 |
| Launched: | 1 October 1803 |
| Completed: | February 1804 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Océan class ship of the line |
| Displacement: | 2 700 tonnes |
| Length: | 65.18 m (213.8 ft) (196,6 French feet) |
| Beam: | 16.24 m (53.3 ft) (50 French feet) |
| Draught: | 8.12 m (26.6 ft) (25 French feet) |
| Propulsion: | sail, 3 265 m² |
| Complement: | 1 079 men |
| Armament: |
|
| Armour: | Timber |
The Vengeur ("Avenger") was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané. She was the first ship in French service to sport 18-pounder long guns on her third deck, instead of the lighter 12-pounder long guns used before for this role.
Career
Laid down as Peuple in covered basin no.3 at Brest Dockyard in October 1793, she was renamed as Vengeur after the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 in honour of the Vengeur du Peuple by a decree passed by the National Convention.[1]
She was launched on 1 October 1803 and completed in February 1804. She was again renamed in March 1805, becoming Impérial.
She took part in the Battle of San Domingo on the 6th of February 1806. Severely battered by several British ships, most of her artillery out of order and without means to manoeuver, she was beached by her captain to prevent her sinking and capture. It took several days to evacuate her crew, of whom many were wounded; after a few days, British ships closed in and sent boats to capture those remained aboard and set fire to the wreck.
Sources and 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.