The Neptune was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class

Bucentaure class ship of the line

The Bucentaure class was a class of 80-gun French ships of the line built to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané from 1802 onwards, of which at least 29 were ordered but only 21 ships were launched...

 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...

, designed by Sané

Sane

Sane is an English word meaning "of sound mind"; see Sanity.Sane or SANE may also refer to:* Sane Ancient Greek city* An archaeological site and a modern name of Sani, Greece*Sane, Mali...

.

Started in 1810, briefly renamed Brabançon during the Hundred Days

Hundred Days

The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...

 and launched in 1818, after the Bourbon Restauration, she remained without commission until 1839.

She was part of a squadron under Admiral Hugon, along with Montebello

French ship Montebello (1812)

Montebello was an Océan type 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was launched in 1812 and refitted in 1821.In 1851, she was refitted to receive a steam engine. During trials, performance under sail was poor, probably because of the propeller which increased the drag.She took part in...

 and Andromaque.

She was also used to transport convicts to Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

She was struck in 1858 and used as a prison ship in Toulon harbour between 1865 and 1868.