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French ship Souverain (1757)
Encyclopedia
The Souverain was a 74-gun ship of the line 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...
, lead ship of her class
Souverain class ship of the line
The Souverain class was a type of two 74-gun ships of the line.* SouverainThe Souverain class was a type of two 74-gun ships of the line.* Souverain...
.
She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake
Battle of the Chesapeake
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas...
, in 1781. In 1792, she was renamed Peuple Souverain ("Sovereign People").
In 1798, she took part in the battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
. A shot from HMS Orion
HMS Orion (1787)
HMS Orion was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford on 1 June 1787 to the design of the , by William Bately...
(at the rear of the British line) cut her cable and she drifted out of position,http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W9J3QkkNFl0C&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=%22Le+Peuple-Souverain%22+ship&source=web&ots=2Ht57LMs1j&sig=XIEj2WsMD2O4AYW7ji9Fac1fh7w&hl=en#PPA10,M1 later in the battle being captured by the British.http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7UY0T1ci55IC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=%22Le+Peuple-Souverain%22+ship&source=web&ots=pYUn80SuFj&sig=W2jT0MXkDeITgGDMYOKQi-6ZkRg&hl=en She was subsequently recommissioned in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The 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...
as HMS Guerrier, but was in too bad a shape to serve in the high sea, so she was used as a guard ship.