French ship Cassard (1795)
 Scale model of the Brave, probably made by French sailor prisoners in Great Britain, Art Gallery of Ontario
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| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Cassard |
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | 16 February 1793 |
| Builder | Lorient |
| Laid down | August 1793 |
| Launched | 2 May 1795 |
| Renamed |
|
| Captured | 1806 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Acquired | 6 February 1806 |
| Fate | Foundered attempting to reach Britain, April 1806. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Téméraire-class ship of the line |
| Displacement | 3,069 tonneaux |
| Tons burthen | 1,537 port tonneaux |
| Length | 55.87 m (183 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 14.46 m (47 ft 5 in) |
| Draught | 7.15 m (23.5 ft) |
| Depth of hold | 7.15 m (23 ft 5 in) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Crew | 705 |
| Armament |
|
Cassard was a 4th rank, 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the 1790s. Completed in 1795, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars. She was renamed Dix-Août in 1798, in honour of the insurrection of 10 August 1792, and subsequently Brave in 1803.
Description
[edit]The Téméraire-class ships had an length of 55.87 metres (183 ft 4 in), a beam of 14.46 metres (47 ft 5 in) and a depth of hold of 7.15 metres (23 ft 5 in). The ships displaced 3,069 tonneaux and had a mean draught of 7.15 metres (23 ft 5 in). They had a tonnage of 1,537 port tonneaux. Their crew numbered 705 officers and ratings during wartime. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged.[1]
The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Téméraire class consisted of twenty-eight 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck and thirty 18-pounder long guns on the upper gun deck. On the quarterdeck and forecastle were a total of sixteen 8-pounder long guns. Beginning with the ships completed after 1787, the armament of the Téméraires began to change with the addition of four 36-pounder obusiers on the poop deck (dunette). Some ships had instead twenty 8-pounders.[2]
Construction and career
[edit]
Cassard was ordered on 16 February 1793 and laid down at the Arsenal de Lorient in August. The ship was launched on 2 May 1795 and completed in July. She was renamed Dix-Août on 24 February 1798.[3] Later that year, the ship participated in the French expedition to Ireland. On 10 February 1801 Dix-août captured the 16-gun cutter HMS Sprightly, which she scuttled. On 27 March 1801, as Dix-août sailed with the Mediterranean Fleet, she collided with Formidable and had to return to harbour. On 4 February 1803, her name was changed to Brave.[4]
On 26 September 1805, Indivisible and Dix-Août succeeded in shooting away Swiftsure's yards and masts, crippling her and so capturing her.[5] Swiftsure had two men killed, two men mortally wounded, and another six wounded; the French lost 33 killed and wounded.[5] She was captured by HMS Donegal on 6 February 1806 at the Battle of San Domingo. She foundered shortly thereafter on 12 April 1806 without loss of life while en route to Britain.[4]
Citations
[edit]- ^ Winfield & Roberts, p. 87
- ^ Winfield & Roberts, pp. 87–88
- ^ Winfield & Roberts, p. 89
- ^ a b Roche, p. 153
- ^ a b "No. 15437". The London Gazette. 19 December 1801. pp. 1505–1506.
References
[edit]
Media related to Cassard (ship, 1795) at Wikimedia Commons- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours [Dictionary of French Warships from Colbert to Today]. Vol. 1: 1671-1870. Roche. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
- Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S. (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2
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