French ship Foudroyant (1800)
Encyclopedia
The Foudroyant ("Lightning") was a 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....

 80-gun ship 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...

 of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

.

She was started in Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...

 from 1793, and renamed to Dix-huit fructidor in 1798 in honour of the Coup of 18 fructidor an V
Coup of 18 fructidor an V
The Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V, was a seizure of power by members of the French Directory on 4 September 1797. Three Directors, Barras, Rewbell and La Révellière-Lépeaux, staged the coup d'etat with support from the military. Moderates and royalist deputies had gained significantly in the recent...

 , as she was still on keel. She was eventually launched as Foudroyant.

She took part in cruises in the Caribbean under Villaret de Joyeuse.

On 15 September 1806, while under jury rig
Jury rig
Jury rigging refers to makeshift repairs or temporary contrivances, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. Originally a nautical term, on sailing ships a jury rig is a replacement mast and yards improvised in case of damage or loss of the original mast.-Etymology:The...

 some 15 miles off Havana, she encountered HMS Anson
HMS Anson (1781)
HMS Anson was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Plymouth on 4 September 1781 by Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire.-History:...

, under Captain Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....

. Anson, mistakenly believing Foudroyant distressed, attacked, and was driven off.

She took part in the Battle of the Basque Roads
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...

.

She was eventually broken up in 1834.

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