The Ville de Paris was an Océan class

Océan class ship of the line

The Océan-type ships of the line were a series of 16 first-rate 118-gun ships of the line of the French navy, designed by engineer Jacques-Noël Sané. Fifteen were completed from 1788 on, with the last one entering service in 1854...

 118-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...

.

Her keeled was in Rochefort in 1807 as Marengo. During her construction, she was renamed Ville de Vienne, Comte d'Artois during the Bourbon Restoration

Bourbon Restoration

The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon  – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...

, Ville de Vienne again briefly 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 back to Comte d'Artois thereafter. On 9 October 1830, following the July Revolution

July Revolution

The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...

, she took her name of Ville de Paris. She was finally launched on 5 October 1850.

In 1851, she rejoined Toulon where she served as flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the squadron, under captain Penaud.

On 23 March 1853, she departed Toulon for Greece, leading the First squadron of vice-admiral Régnault de La Susse. She arrived at Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 in March 1853, where La Susse was relieved, and joined with the British squadron under Admiral Dundas

James Whitley Deans Dundas

Admiral Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas GCB was a Royal Navy officer and a First Sea Lord.-Naval career:...

 at Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. On June 1853, the Allied fleet arrived at Beşik Bay. On 15 July 1853, Admiral Hamelin

François Alphonse Hamelin

Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin , French admiral, was born in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy.He went to sea in 1806 as cabin boy with his uncle, Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, on the frigate Vénus. The Vénus was part of the French squadron in the Indian Ocean, and young Hamelin had an opportunity of seeing...

 took over command of the French squadron. On 22 September 1853, the fleet departed for the Dardanelles

Dardanelles

The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...

, Ville de Paris in tow of the Napoléon. During the operations in the Sea of Marmara

Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...

, she was towed by other steam ships.

In 1854, the squadron blockaded the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 and protected the Allied lines of supply. Ville de Paris arrived at Odessa

Odessa

Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...

 on 6 January 1854, taking Russian prisoners captured by other French units, and directing the shelling of the city on 22 March.

In late July 1854, a cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

 epidemic broke out in the fleet. On 11 August, the fleet sailed in quarantine. By the end of the month, Ville de Paris had 140 dead.

On 2 September 1854, Saint Arnaud

Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud

Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud was a French soldier and Marshal of France during the 19th century...

, general Canrobert

François Certain Canrobert

François Certain de Canrobert, usually known as François Certain-Canrobert and later simply as Maréchal Canrobert , was a marshal of France.-Biography:...

 and their staff came aboard to direct the landing at Eupatoria

Eupatoria

Yevpatoria or Eupatoria is a city in Crimea, Ukraine.-History:The first recorded settlement in the area, called Kerkinitis , was built by Greek colonists around 500 BC...

. Ville de Paris was again taken in tow of Napoléon and the fleet moved to Eupatoria, joining with the British fleet on the 13th. The next day at 8:30 am, the Army landed. Eventually, 60,000 men were landed by the 16th of September.

On 17 October 1854, Ville de Paris launched the bombing of Sevastopol by signaling "France watches you". Her poop deck

Poop deck

In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis...

 was soon struck by a shell and two round shots, killing 2 and wounding 6 men. By 7 PM, Ville de Paris had received 50 shots in her hull and one hundred in her riggings.

On 14 November, Ville de Paris lost steering during a storm, and had to return to Bosporus

Bosporus

The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...

 in tow of a steam ship. She was repaired in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

, returning to sea on 21 December. She return to Toulon on 28 March 1855.

From July 1857, Ville de Paris was transformed into a steam ship, gaining 5.47 metres in the process. She was launched in May 1858 and recommissioned in August 1858.

In 1870, she was converted to a troop ship, her engine removed, and in 1881 she was used as a hulk.

Ville de Paris was scrapped on 2 March 1898.

External links

• 110/130-gun ships-of-the-line, including a photograph