Bucentaure class ship of the line
Encyclopedia
The Bucentaure class was a class of 80-gun French ships of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
built to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...
from 1802 onwards, of which at least 29 were ordered but only 21 ships were launched. They were a development from his earlier Tonnant class
Tonnant class ship of the line
The Tonnant Class was a class of eight 80-gun ships of the line designed in 1787 by Jacques-Noël Sané. From 1802 a new group was begun of slightly modified design, of which more than 24 were begun....
.
Ships in class
- BucentaureFrench ship Bucentaure (1804)Bucentaure was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Latouche Tréville, who died on board on 18 August 1804....
- Builder: Toulon
- Begun: November 1802
- Launched: 13 July 1803
- Completed: January 1804
- Fate: Captured by the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
on 21 October 1805 following TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. Was briefly recaptured but was then wrecked on 23 October 1805.
- Neptune
- Builder: Toulon
- Begun: January 1803
- Launched: 15 August 1803
- Completed: April 1804
- Fate: Captured by the Spanish NavySpanish NavyThe Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
in June 1808, renamed Neptuno, deleted 1820.
- RobusteFrench ship Robuste (1806)The Robuste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.She was commissioned under Captain Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet, and was later captained by Julien Cosmao....
- Builder: Toulon
- Begun: May 1805
- Launched: 30 October 1806
- Completed: May 1807
- Fate: Scuttled and burnt on 26 October 1809.
- Ville de VarsovieFrench ship Ville de Varsovie (1808)The Ville de Varsovie was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Chaumont from original plans by Sané.Built as Tonnant, she was renamed Ville de Varsovie while still under construction...
- Builder: Rochefort
- Begun: March 1805 as Tonnant, renamed May 1807
- Launched: 10 May 1808
- Completed: July 1808
- Fate: Captured and burnt by the British in April 1809.
- DonawerthFrench ship Donawerth (1808)The Donawerth was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In late 1809, Ganteaume was organising reinforcements to Barcelona. Cosmao set his flag on and took command of a squadron comprising , , and , as well as the frigates and , and a dozen of...
- Builder: Toulon
- Begun: December 1806
- Launched: 4 July 1808
- Completed: October 1808
- Fate: Broken up 1824.
- EylauFrench ship Eylau (1808)The Eylau was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Began as Saturne, she was rename Eylau while still under construction. She was commissioned on 11 March 1809 under Captain Jurien de La Gravière.In 1811, she was the flagship of Admiral Allemand...
- Builder: Lorient
- Begun: September 1805
- Launched: 19 November 1808
- Completed: May 1809
- Fate: Condemned 1829 and broken up.
- FriedlandFrench ship Friedland (1810)The Friedland was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Her launching was attended by Napoleon and his wife, Marie Louise...
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: July 1807
- Launched: 2 May 1810
- Completed: May 1811
- Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Vlaming. Broken up 1823.
- SceptreFrench ship Sceptre (1810)The Sceptre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.-References:* Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, tome I...
- Builder: Toulon
- Begun: March 1809
- Launched: 15 August 1810
- Completed: March 1811
- Fate: Condemned 1828 and hulked.
- TilsittFrench ship Tilsitt (1810)The Tilsitt was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She defended the harbour on Anvers until 1814....
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: September 1807
- Launched: 15 August 1810
- Completed: May 1811
- Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Neptunus. Condemned and broken up 1818.
- AugusteFrench ship Auguste (1811)The Auguste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In 1812, she was part of Gourdon's squadron.She was renamed to Illustre in March 1814, with the Bourbon Restauration...
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: October 1807
- Launched: 25 April 1811
- Completed: July 1811
- Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 but returned to France in September and renamed Illustre. Condemned and broken up 1827.
- PacificateurFrench ship Pacificateur (1811)The Pacificateur was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané. She is notable for being the first ship to sustain damage from Paixhans shells....
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: September 1807
- Launched: 22 May 1811
- Completed: August 1811
- Fate: Condemned 1823.
- IllustreFrench ship Illustre (1811)The Illustre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was given to Holland with the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814.-References:...
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: August 1807
- Launched: 9 June 1811
- Completed: October 1811
- Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Prins van Oranje. Sold 1825 and broken up.
- DiademeFrench ship Diadème (1811)The Diadème was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Commissioned in Lorient in January 1812, Diadème was disarmed at the Bourbon Restauration...
- Builder: Lorient
- Begun: November 1807
- Launched: 1 December 1811
- Completed: March 1812
- Fate: Condemned 1856 and broken up 1868.
- ConquérantFrench ship Conquérant (1812)The Conquérant was a Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Anvers under Captain Lafond in the Scheldt squadron. At the Bourbon Restauration, she was sent to Brest, where she underwent a refit in 1821, and was sent to Toulon in 1824...
- Builder: Antwerp
- Begun: December 1808
- Launched: 27 April 1812
- Completed: September 1812
- Fate: Condemned 1831.
- Zélandais
- Builder: Cherbourg
- Begun: October 1810
- Launched: 12 October 1813
- Completed: March 1814
- Fate: Condemned 1836 and hulked. Broken up 1858.
- MagnifiqueFrench ship Magnifique (1814)The Magnifique was a 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Lorient on 1 November 1814....
- Builder: Lorient
- Begun: December 1809
- Launched: 29 October 1814
- Completed: November 1814
- Fate: Condemned 1837.
- CentaureFrench ship Centaure (1818)The Centaure was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in operations of the Spanish expedition in 1823, along with Trident and Sirène, silencing fort Santi-Pietri...
- Builder: Cherbourg
- Begun: November 1811
- Launched: 8 January 1818
- Completed: April 1818
- Fate: Renamed Santi Pietri in October 1823. Hulked 1849, burnt by accident 1862.
- NeptuneFrench ship Neptune (1818)The Neptune was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Started in 1810, briefly renamed Brabançon during the Hundred Days and launched in 1818, after the Bourbon Restauration, she remained without commission until 1839.She was part of a squadron...
(ii)
- Builder: Lorient
- Begun: December 1810
- Launched: 21 March 1818
- Completed: June 1818
- Fate: Hulked 1858, broken up 1868.
- AlgecirasFrench ship Algésiras (1823)The Algésiras was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, under Captain Ponée, and in the Tage expedition the next year, under Captain Moulac....
- Builder: Lorient
- Begun: April 1812
- Launched: 21 August 1823
- Completed: April 1824
- Fate: Hulked 1846.
- JupiterFrench ship Jupiter (1831)The Jupiter was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In 1836, she ferried Admiral de Markau from Brest to Fort de France to replace Admiral Halgan as governor in the Caribbean....
- Builder: Cherbourg
- Begun: November 1811
- Launched: 22 October 1831
- Completed: September 1833
- Fate: hulked 1863.
- Vesuvio
- Builder: Castellammare di Stabia
- Begun: August 1812
- Launched: 2 December 1824
- Completed: 1825
- Fate: Not launched as French warship; became Neapolitan ship in December 1813.
No other vessels of this design were completed, the following were begun at Antwerp, but taken over in 1814 by the Netherlands, and broken up on the stocks.
- Mars
- Begun: April 1811
- Alexandre
- Begun: June 1811
- Tibre
- Begun: June 1811
- Atlas
- Begun: September 1811
- Fougueux
- Begun: July 1812
A further ship to this same design was begun as the Saturno in May 1812 at Venice, and was renamed Ems by the Austrians following their seizure of that city, but was broken up on the stocks in 1818-19. A second ship was ordered at Venice in 1813, but was never laid down. Finally a further ship of this class was ordered in 1812 at Rochefort, but was never laid down or even assigned a name.