French warships in the age of sail 1626-1786 : design, construction, careers and fates

448 Pages·2017·23.076 MB·English

by  Stephen S. Roberts, Rif Winfield

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French Warships
in the Age of Sail
1626–1786
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French Warships
in the Age of Sail
1626–1786
Design, Construction,
Careers and Fates
R W &
IF INFIELD
S S R
TEPHEN OBERTS
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FRONTISPIECE:French naval power under Louis XIV reached its high-water mark at the Battle of Beachy Head (known as
Béveziers in France) on 10 July 1690, which resulted in the comprehensive defeat of the main Anglo-Dutch fleet and the
allied loss of command of the Channel for two years. In terms of the damage inflicted and its potential strategic value, it
was France’s greatest victory in the age of sail. This is a Dutch lithograph of the event published about 1830. (Beverley R
Robinson Collection, Annapolis 51.7.72)
Copyright © Rif Winfield & Stephen S Roberts 2017
This edition first published in Great Britain in 2017 by
Seaforth Publishing,
An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd,
47 Church Street,
Barnsley
South Yorkshire S70 2AS
www.seaforthpublishing.com
Email: [email protected]
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Contents
Preface vii (A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 155
Acknowledgments viii (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 157
Structure and Organisation of the Book 1 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 163
French Naval Technology and Organisation from Colbert to Castries 4 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 170
The Small Three-decked Ship of the Line 4 (E) 12pdr-armed frigates (Frégates de 12) acquired from 1747 174
Mixed Calibres on Gun Decks 4 (F) 12pdr-armed vessels (two-deckers) acquired in 1770 184
Changes in Ship Rankings, 1669–1716 4 (G) 18pdr-armed frigates (Frégates de 18) acquired from 1772 185
Appearance and Design 4
Flags 5 Chapter 5 The Fifth Rank (Vaisseaux du cinquième rang) 190
Ordnance 5 sometimes described as Frigates of the 2ndOrder (Frégates
Manning Levels 7 du 2eordre), and 8pdr-armed frigates after 1740
Administration of the Navy 7 (A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 190
Dockyards and Infrastructure 8 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 191
Use of Navy ships for Privateering (Armements Mixtes) 11 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 199
Historical Overview 13 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 203
Chronology 23 (E) 8pdr-armed frigates (Frégates de 8) acquired from 1740 203
French Naval Operations from 1626 to 1786 25
Sources and Bibliography 38 Chapter 6 Light Frigates (Frégates légères) 216
Glossary and Abbreviations 44 (A) Frigates in service as at 9 March 1661 216
(B) Frigates acquired from 9 March 1661 216
Preamble: The Legacy of Richelieu and Mazarin – Ships of the 49 (C) Frigates acquired from 15 April 1689 223
French Navy from 1626 to 1661 (D) 6pdr-armed frégates légèresacquired from 1 234
(A) The French fleet in September 1661. 54 September 1715
(E) 8pdr- and 12pdr-armed frégates légèresacquired from 236
Chapter 1 The First Rank (Vaisseaux du premier rang) with 80 or 55 1 September 1715
more guns after 1715
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 56 Chapter 7 Bomb Vessels and other Coastal Warfare Craft (Galiotes 239
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 56 à mortiers, Galiotes à bombes, Prames, Chaloupes-canonnières, etc)
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 63 Bomb Vessels 239
(D) Three-decked vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 69 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 239
(E) 80-gun two-decked vessels (Vaisseaux de 80) acquired 74 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 242
from 1740 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 243
Prams (Prames) 246
Chapter 2 The Second Rank (Vaisseaux du second rang) with 79 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 247
68 to 78 guns after 1715 Floating Batteries 247
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 79 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 247
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 79 Gunboats (Chaloupes-canonnières) and mortar 247
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 89 boats (Chaloupes-carcassières)
(D) 74-gun two-decked vessels (Vaisseaux de 74) acquired 97 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 247
from 1 September 1715 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 248
(D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 248
Chapter 3 The Third Rank (Vaisseaux du troisième rang) with 56 113
to 66 guns after 1715 Chapter 8 Fireships (Brûlots) 252
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 113 (A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 252
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 115 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 252
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 127 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 258
(D) 24pdr- and 36pdr-armed vessels acquired from 139 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 263
1 September 1715
(E) 18pdr-armed vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 151 Chapter 9 Storeships and Cargo Ships (Flûtesand Gabarres) 266
Storeships (Flûtes) 266
Chapter 4 The Fourth Rank (Vaisseaux du quatrième rang) with 155 (A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 267
40 to 54 guns after 1715, sometimes described as Frigates of (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 267
the 1stOrder (Frégates du 1erordre), and 12pdr-armed and larger (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 276
frigates after 1747 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 283
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vi CONTENTS
Cargo Ships (Gabarres) 294 Supply and Patrol Vessels 366
(A) Vessels acquired from 1714 294 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 366
(D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 366
Chapter 10 Corvettes andBarques Longues 302 Yachts, Traversiers, and Paquebots 369
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 302 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 370
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 303 (C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 370
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 307 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 370
(D) Corvettes with 4pdr guns acquired from 316
December 1715 Addendum The Galley Corps (corps des galères) 372
(E) Corvettes with 6pdr (or heavier) guns acquired 325 (A) Vessels acquired before 9 March 1661 373
from 1763 (B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 374
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 379
Chapter 11 Minor Warships – Ponanttypes (Barques, Brigantines, 332 (D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 381
Snows, Cutters, Luggers, Schooners, Brigs, etc)
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 332 Appendix A. Strength of the French Navy, 1660–1786 384
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 332 Appendix B. Financial Expenditures on the French 387
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 333 Navy, 1662–1786
(D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 335 Appendix C: French Warship Ranks and Changes in 389
Ranks, 1669–1789
Chapter 12 Minor Warships – Levanttypes (Barques, Brigantines, 351 Appendix D. Standard Armaments of French Ships, 394
Tartanes,Feluccas, Xebecs, etc) 1674 and 1689
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 351 Appendix E. French Monarchs, Political and Naval Leaders, 395
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 352 1626–1786
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 353 Appendix F. Selected French Master Shipwrights and Master 398
(D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 357 Sculptors, 1661–1786
Appendix G. Action stations of the 80-gun ship of the line 403
Chapter 13 Minor Support Vessels 362 Foudroyantof 1750
Cargo Vessels 362 Appendix H. Colbert’s mass ship renamings of 24 June 1671. 404
(A) Vessels in service as at 9 March 1661 362 Appendix J. Lists of the French Fleet as at 1672 – 1682 – 1692 406
(B) Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 362 – 1702 – 1712 – 1723 – 1734 – 1743 – 1752 – 1765
(C) Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 364 – 1772 and 1786
(D) Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 365
Index to Named Vessels 417
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PREFACE vii
Preface
T
his is chronologically the first of two volumes describing ships towards anything approaching its former levels. There followed periods
and other vessels operated by the French Navy (Marine Royale) of growth in and immediately preceding wartime and decline thereafter
during the Age of Sail, although it is the second to be published. (the totals in 1757 briefly reached over 100 effective ships, but fell
It commences with the development of French naval forces during the sharply during and after the Seven Years’ War). Another recovery began
reign of Louis XIII under the guidance of Armand Jean du Plessis, Car- immediately after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and was
dinal Richelieu, who became the King’s First Minister in 1624, and took accelerated under the new king, Louis XVI, in 1774, producing a fleet
over specific responsibility for naval and maritime matters in 1626; this that performed well against its long-term opponent, Britain, and played
volume concludes with the re-organisation of the Navy at the start of a pivotal role in the outcome of the War of American Independence. The
1786 under the auspices of the thenSecrétaire d'État à la Marine(Minister fleet was further strengthened during the 1780s, only to be undermined
of the Navy), Comte de Castries, and thus covers a period of 160 years. A by the collapse of the King's finances in 1788 and the ensuing French
companion volume already published covers the development of the Revolution.
French Navy from 1786 until the conclusion of the Age of Sail (around The present volume gives a summary of the main technical details of
1861) – this previously published work is hereafter referred to as Volume each class of vessel built for or otherwise acquired by the French Navy
II; note that where differences between the two volumes’ data are found, from 1661 onwards, including its dimensions and tonnage, its
this is due to further research subsequent to Volume II’s publication, and complement of men, and its armament. The designers and builders of
the current volume should be regarded as correct. each vessel are listed, along with its construction dates. A few key
Our aim in this book has been to rescue from their underserved highlights of individual ship histories have also been mentioned, notably
obscurity – for English-speaking readers, whose only acquaintance with participation in major battles and naval actions, and – for the latter part
these ships is as little-known opponents in naval actions – the identities of Louis XIV’s reign – details of Navy vessels ‘lent’ for privateering to
of the thousands of individual vessels that served under the French flag commercial consortia, usually headed by a senior officer, and numbering
during these 160 years, and to remind these readers that each of these Louis himself as one of the partners in the operation, in return for a share
vessels was the product of skilled design and craftmanship, and each (typically a fifth of the net profit).
formed a community of hundreds of men, living afloat for periods of For vessels built prior to 1661 which were still in existence at that
years and ranging around the known world. date, we give equal coverage of their details where they are known.
Inevitably a significant focus is on the ships of Louis XIV – the Roi Other vessels acquired from 1626 onwards, which had been lost or
Soleil(Sun King) – as this period served as a Golden Age in French naval disposed of prior to 1661, are covered more briefly in the section headed
history. The Navy created in the 1620s under Cardinal Richelieu’s drive ‘Preamble’.
for overseas trade, and maintained by his successor Mazarin during the We emphasise below (see ‘Dimensions’ and ‘Tons’ below, under
1640s, declined dramatically during the 1650s to fewer than thirty ‘Structure and Organisation’) that all dimensions and other
effective vessels; it was virtually recreated during the following decade measurements in this book, and in its companion volume covering 1786
(in particular from 1666 to 1671) to reach the intended total of 120 to 1861 – unless explicitly described as being in English units – are
combatant ships (vaisseauxand frégates, excluding lesser vessels) by 1672, given in contemporary French units of feet and inches (piedsand pouces),
and was maintained at this level (indeed, peaking at over 150 combatant which were slightly more than 6.5 per cent greater than those used in
ships in 1692), but went into a fresh decline in the last eight years of Britain (or the USA). Conversely tonnages (in terms of tons weight) in
Louis XIV’s reign to fewer than half the strength. French pre-metric units were approximately 3.8% smaller than those
Following Louis XIV’s death in 1715, the much-reduced naval service units in Britain. To aid the reader, we have given metric equivalents for
entered on an era of retrenchment and restructure, and by 1720 was back the French dimensions, although of course the Metric System was not
to its 1660 levels. A slow re-growth began in the 1720s and 1730s, but introduced until the 1790s.
it was only from 1740 onwards that it again flourished and returned
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viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Acknowledgments
A
s with our previous volume covering French Warships of 1786 to advice and support has come from a number of individuals, both in
1861, the present book would not have been possible without France and around the world, including Jim Bender, Leuewe Bouma,
the many contributions made by colleagues and friends through- Deb Carlen, J David Davies, James W Davies, Fred Dittmar, David
out the world. Many of these have been equally helpful with the other Hepper, John Houghton, Andrew Lambert, Frank Lecalvé, Ian
volume, but we must again thank them for their continued support and McLaughlan, Byrne McLeod, Charles Moseley, Andy Peters, Stuart
their erudite and well-informed suggestions. Others whose interests have Rankin, Christian de Saint Hubert, Eduard ('Ted') Sozaev, John (‘Mike’)
been more related to this earlier period have been vital in ensuring accu- Tredrea and Emir Yener. We offer our apologies to anyone we have
racy. inadvertently omitted from this page.
There are several individuals whose expertise has been essential in Rif particularly wants to thank his wife Ann for her tolerance of the
keeping our work on track, and in encouraging our efforts. We have been time he has given to this project, and for putting up with the piles of
delighted to welcome the addition to our research major contributions research documents around the house, while Steve wishes to remember
by Contre-AmiralJean-Yves Nerzic, whose own writings on Louis XIV’s his wife Sue Goetz Ross, who accompanied him on some of his research
navy should be commended to all readers. His helpful discourse on the trips to France but who died long before he got the opportunity to
program initiated by Louis XIV in the 1660s, his exhaustive research on publish his work in this book and its earlier companion.
armements mixtes, and his knowledgeable and enthusiastic contribution on As we mentioned in connection with our previous book, information
all sections of our volume (down to a thorough reading through and in a variety of published works in French has been invaluable in
proof-reading of our text) have made a vast contribution to the quality of corroborating our information from French archives and in filling in
this volume. We are also grateful to Larrie Ferreiro who likewise read the gaps where we lacked details. The comprehensive listings compiled and
entire text and gave us important insights on naval architecture and on published over a series of volumes by Cdt Alain Demerliac have been an
the history of the period of the War of American Independence. essential source of data, adding to our information on major ships and
We have equally been helped by the consistent support of Frank Fox, helping us to avoid overlooking some of the multitude of smaller craft.
the acknowledged guru of seventeenth-century naval construction, who The published répertoireof Jean-Michel Roche has been a source of
has clarified many contentious or ambiguous matters. In particular, his copious information, as have the earlier répertoiresof Frank Lecalvé,
familiarity with the drawings of the two Van de Veldes (Dutch artists Jacques Vichot and Pierre Le Conte. The massive studies of a variety of
who drew hundreds of ships including some French) and other warship types by Jean Boudriot, the doyen of French sailing warship
contemporary documentation has been invaluable in identifying ships history are essential references for anyone working in this field. The
(French, English and Dutch) which took part in many of the battles of massive doctoral dissertation of Contre-Amiral Jean-Yves Nerzic on
the seventeenth century. armements mixteshas opened up a new dimension of French Navy
While both authors of this book have spent time in past years among operational history. Among English-language publications, we recognise
the archives of the French Navy, neither of us was able to update our Larrie Ferreiro's study of the origins of naval architecture in our period as
knowledge from sources in France during the writing of this book. So we the authoritative introduction to the evolution of the science. The work
were extremely fortunate that Jane Winfield (Rif’s sister), a long-time of Jean-Claude Lemineur had broken new ground in this field. We have
French resident and professional researcher in Paris, diligently and also benefited from the published studies by Henri le Masson, Philippe
enthusiastically carried out all the necessary extra research and ferreted Masson, Martine Acerra, Jean Peter, Patrick Villiers, Gérard Piouffre and
out answers to clarify queries and resolve ambiguities in the archives. We Henri Simoni as well as other volumes referenced in our Bibliography.
also wish to thank the staff at the Archives Nationales, the Bibliothéque We gratefully acknowledge our debt to all these authors and their
Nationale, the Service Historique de la Défense, and the Musée de la Marinein publications.
Paris (as well as the Association des Amis de la Musée de la Marine), as well This publication would again not have been possible without the
as those at the Château de Chantilly, Musée Jacquemart-Andréand the enthusiastic co-operation and support of our publisher, Robert Gardiner.
Bibliothèque Mazarine, for the help that they provided to her, and to Robert has not only scoured every possible source for the 220-or-so
ourselves in past years. illustrations which have graced this volume, and contributed many of
We are indebted to Grant Walker and his staff at the US Naval their captions, but has also been a constant reference point for resolving
Academy Museum at Annapolis for providing a number of illustrations queries and has settled issues from his own wide-ranging knowledge of
from the Beverley R Robinson collection, as well as for his courtesy and the topic. To Rob, to his colleague Julian Mannering, and to the rest of
kindness to Steve Roberts on visits to that institution. Staff at the Caird the team at Seaforth, we wish to express our profound thanks.
Library in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich have been an The whole study of the history of French sailing vessels – both naval
unfailing source of co-operation during many years of research, and our and commercial – exists primarily because of the life-long efforts of the
appreciation is also due to the personnel at the Brass Foundry, the late Jean Boudriot, whose work as an architect and as a publisher equally
NMM’s outstation at Woolwich where their vast collection of ship’s known for his elegant productions on naval architecture and ancient
draughts are stored. The Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth also weaponry made him one of the principal movers in the rebirth of the
contributed to our search for illustrations. subject matter. Graciously, he gave Steve much support and
Over a considerable period of time, our information and much helpful encouragement during his doctoral research in France in 1973–74.
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STRUCTUREANDORGANISATIONOFTHEBOOK 1
Structure and Organisation of the Book
T
his book, like our 1786–1861 volume in the same series, is employed in the English and Dutch Navies. Ships built after 1689 were
organised primarily by ship type. Like their rivals across the either three-decked (for 1stRank ships) or two-decked (for the 2ndand
English Channel, the French Navy classed its vessels since the 3rdRanks); however, from 1740 some two-decked warships of 80 guns
1630s according to their functions – primarily as vaisseaux(ships of the were again included in the 1stRank.
line of battle), frégates(cruising warships), flûtes(transports) and brûlots The 4thand 5thRanks included two-decked ships not generally
(fireships). The sweeping administrative reforms initiated by Colbert in classed as fit for the battlefleet, normally described as frigates (or frégates-
1669 included the categorising of its principal warships into Rates or vaisseaux) and intended for cruising or for trade warfare (convoy
Rangs(for clarity, this book will use the French term – anglicised to protection or preying on the merchant fleet of France’s adversaries in
Rank– to distinguish it from the English system of Rates). For the wartime). Smaller frigates which carried fewer guns than the minima set
French, from mid-1671 there were five Ranks (one fewer than for their for the 5thRank or had only a single gun deck were not included in the
cross-Channel rivals) and the criteria for determining the Rank into Rank system, but were classified as light frigates (or frégates légères), and
which ships were placed varied over the years. these are included in Chapter 6.
Prior to 1669, there was a provisional division of combatants into just During the 1740s the construction of frégates légèreseffectively ceased
three Ranks – those carrying between 60 and 70 guns (1stRank), those (it had been in decline for several decades), and they were superseded by
carrying between 40 and 50 guns (2ndRank), and those carrying between what are in modern parlance generally described as ‘true’ frigates, i.e.
30 and 40 guns (3rdRank). A new division into four Ranks was made in vessels carrying a single battery of guns on their upper decks (often with
1669 based on both tonnage and number of guns, and this was followed a few smaller guns on the gaillards), with no openings in the hull on the
in 1670 with the redistribution of the fleet into five Ranks, (the five lower deck level. From 1740 these were built with a battery of 8pdr
ranks first appearing in a Règlement sur l’Artillerie des Vaisseauxof 1 guns, and these are included in the latter part of Chapter 5, as their role
December 1669 that governed the distribution of bronze and iron guns was effectively to replace that of the Fifth Rank ships. Beginning in
to the different ranks). Ranks were initially based primarily on the 1747, frigates were built that carried a battery of 12pdr guns, and later
tonnage of the ships but were subsequently determined in a more on frigates would adopt a battery of 18pdr guns; these are included in
complex way than in the British Navy, with consideration also being the latter part of Chapter 4, as their role replaced that of the Fourth
given to the numbers of guns and decks and the size of the crew (see Rank ships.
Appendix C). Vessels were moved from one Rank to another far more The smaller unrankedwarships and auxiliaries were categorised by a
frequently than across the Channel, but as far as practical the vaisseaux variety of terms, and these are covered by the subsequent chapters.
and frégateshave been divided initially according to the revised five The French system of grading warships by Rank (or Rangin French)
Ranks that were introduced in July 1670 (the 1669 Ranking has been according to size and firepower was similar to the Rating system
ignored in organising this book, although the 1669 Ranks are shown for employed for English/British ships, but differed in detail. While there
individual ships’ entries). Vessels which had been deleted by mid-1671 was some separation prior to 1669, when Colbert introduced the first
are treated according to how they would have been ranked if still extent comprehensive structure of Ranks (which was significantly altered a year
at that date. later), it would be inappropriate to try and apportion pre-1661 ships to a
In this book, the first five chapters are devoted to the corresponding Rank in the way we have done from 1661 onwards. In addition, the
five Ranks (although there are exceptions for various reasons). The Rank amount of reliable data available for ships in service before 1661 is more
system had become less meaningful before 1786, so our Volume II had limited compared to after that year. Our coverage of pre-1661 vessels is
to be organised somewhat differently. Basically, the 1stRank comprised thus set out in a Preamble which covers the years from 1626 to 1661,
the largest two-decked or three-decked warships (including the majority although we have tried to give an account of the development of all
of fleet flagships), which after 1689 comprised 36pdr-armed ships of the significant combatant vessels of those 35 years. In most of the following
line, i.e.those carrying batteries of 36 livres(French pounds) calibre on chapters, the vessels are listed chronologically, subdivided into four
the lowest of their three continuous gun decks, although prior to 1689 periods:
the lower deck batteries contained guns of lesser calibre.
The 2ndand 3rdRanks comprised three-decked ships with partial Vessels already in service as at 9 March 1661.
third decks and fewer or lighter guns on their lower deck (these were Vessels acquired from 9 March 1661 (up to 1689).
only built before 1689 and were comparable with contemporary large Vessels acquired from 15 April 1689 (up to 1815).
British two-deckers), plus a range of two-decked ships, i.e.those carrying Vessels acquired from 1 September 1715 (up to 1786).
batteries of guns on two continuous gun decks capable of standing in the
line of battle. In each case, smaller guns were carried on partial decks Dates
above the continuous upper deck. These partial decks consisted on the
forecastle (forward) and the quarterdeck (aft) – and sometimes on the We must stress that throughout this book we have quoted the dates
largest vessels a poop deck above the quarterdeck; the French used the recorded in the Gregorian calendar (or ‘New Style’) now used
useful term gaillardsto group together these partial decks, and the term everywhere and which was introduced into France in 1582. In England
is adopted in this volume. All the vessels covered by these Ranks were and its dependent territories the former Julian calendar (or ‘Old Style’)
described as vaisseaux. was retained until September 1752, and this meant that dates in
It should be noted that all three Ranks of these vaisseauxcontained England appearing throughout the seventeenth century were ten days
both two-decker and three-decked ships until 1689 according to French behind those in France and most other countries; in the eighteenth
definitions, although the definition of ‘three-decked’ differed from that century (until 1753) this disparity increased to eleven days. Also,