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French ship Trident (1811)

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For other ships with the same name, see French ship Trident.
Le Trident at the Battle of Navarino, 20 Oct 1827, drawn by George Philip Reinagle on HMS Mosquito
History
French Navy Ensign French Navy Ensign French Navy EnsignFrance
NameTrident
NamesakeTrident
BuilderToulon
Laid down15 November 1809
Launched9 June 1811
CommissionedDecember 1811
Stricken24 November 1857
FateBroken up 1874-75
General characteristics
Class & typeTéméraire-class ship of the line
Displacement3,069 tonneaux
Tons burthen1,537 port tonneaux
Length55.87 m (183 ft 4 in)
Beam14.46 m (47 ft 5 in)
Draught7.15 m (23.5 ft)
Depth of hold7.15 m (23 ft 5 in)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Crew705
Armament

The Trident was a 4th rank, 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the first decade of the 19th century. Completed in 1812, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Description

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Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, 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. After about 1807, the armament on the quarterdeck and forecastle varied widely between ships with differing numbers of 8-pounder long guns and 36-pounder carronades. The total number of guns varied between sixteen and twenty-eight. The 36-pounder obusiers formerly mounted on the poop deck (dunette) in older ships were removed as obsolete.[2]

Construction and career

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Trident was laid down on 15 November 1809 at the Arsenal de Toulon and launched on 9 June 1811. The ship was commissioned on 1 January 1812 and completed in September.[3] On 13 February 1814, she was part of Julien Cosmao's squadron which was intercepted off Toulon by a British blockade. Her sister ship Romulus, at the rear, managed to hold off the British ships long enough for the rest of the squadron to escape.[4]

In 1823, during the Spanish expedition, Trident took part in the bombardment of Cadiz, along with Centaure. In 1827, at the Battle of Navarino, she silenced coastal defences with the Sirène. She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830. In 1831, the ship served as flagship of the Toulon squadron under Rear-admiral Baron Hugon, and took part in the Battle of the Tagus under Captain Casy, reaching Lisbon. In 1854, she took part in the Crimean War, and was used as a troop ship the next year in the Black Sea.[4]

She was struck on 24 November 1857 and was used as a barracks hulk from 1857 to 1869. She was broken up in 1874-1875.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Winfield & Roberts, p. 87
  2. ^ Winfield & Roberts, pp. 87–88, 97–98
  3. ^ a b Winfield & Roberts, p. 99
  4. ^ a b Roche, p. 444
[edit]
  • 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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