French ship Jean Bart (1790)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Jean Bart.
Scale model of Achille, sister ship of French ship Jean Bart (1790), on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris.
History
French Navy Ensign France
NameJean Bart
NamesakeJean Bart
BuilderLorient
Laid down1 June 1788
Launched7 November 1790
CommissionedMarch 1791
FateWrecked near Île Madame on 26 February 1809
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeTéméraire-class ship of the line
Displacement
  • 2,966 tonnes
  • 5,260 tonnes fully loaded
Length55.87 metres (183.3 ft) (172 pied)
Beam14.90 metres (48 ft 11 in)
Draught7.26 metres (23.8 ft) (22 pied)
PropulsionUp to 2,485 m2 (26,750 sq ft) of sails
Armament
ArmourTimber

Jean Bart was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.

Ship history

The ship was laid down at Lorient on 1 June 1788 from a design by Jacques-Noël Sané, and launched on 7 November 1790. Construction was delayed by lack of materials, and she was not completed until March 1791.[2]

In 1793, she was part of the squadron led by Van Stabel. Along with the Tigre, she rescued the Sémillante which was in danger of being captured by the British.[2]

She took part in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794, and in the capture of HMS Alexander on 6 November. She was also part of the Croisière du Grand Hiver winter campaign in 1794/95, serving in Van Stabel's division.[2]

On 15 May 1795, Captain Louis-Marie Le Gouardun took command.[3] Jean Bart was present at the Battle of Genoa in March 1795, and in Cornwallis's Retreat and the subsequent Battle of Groix in June 1795.[2]

In 1800, she sailed to the Mediterranean and made her homeport at Toulon.[2]

On 9 August 1803, Le Gouardun returned as captain, keeping command until 26 May 1808.[3]

In February 1809, she formed part of a French fleet which departed from Brest intending to aid the French colony of Martinique which was under threat from invasion. The fleet sailed for Basque Roads to rendezvous with the Rochefort squadron but upon entering the roadstead they were immediately blockaded by the British. On 26 February 1809, the Jean Bart grounded on a shoal near Île Madame while attempting to enter the anchorage south of Ile d'Aix and was subsequently declared a wreck.[4] In April, the British seized the wreck and burnt the remains.[5]

Replica

A full-scale model is under construction in Gravelines, France.[6]

Citataions

  1. ^ Clouet, Alain (2007). "La marine de Napoléon III : classe Téméraire - caractéristiques". dossiersmarine.free.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Roche, Jean-Michel (2012). "Les bâtiments ayant porté le nom de Jean Bart". netmarine.net (in French). Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b Quintin, p.221
  4. ^ James, William (1826). The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 5, 1808–1811. p. 142.
  5. ^ Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nous jours. p. 265.
  6. ^ "Construction d'un vaisseau Le Jean Bart à Gravelines". tourville.asso.fr. 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.

References