French ship Cassard (1795)

Cassard was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Dix-août in 1798, in honour of the events of 10 August 1792, and subsequently Brave in 1803.

Cassard
Scale model of the Brave, probably made by French sailor prisoners in Great Britain, Art Gallery of Ontario
History
France
NameCassard
Namesake
Ordered16 February 1793
BuilderLorient
Laid downAugust 1793
Launched2 May 1795
Renamed
  • Cassard in 1795
  • Dix-août in 1798
  • Brave in 1803
Captured1806
United Kingdom
Acquired6 February 1806
FateFoundered attempting to reach Britain in April 1806.
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeTéméraire-class ship of the line
Displacement
  • 2,966 tonnes
  • 5,260 tonnes fully loaded
Length55.87 m (183 ft 4 in) (172 pied)
Beam14.90 m (48 ft 11 in)
Draught7.26 m (23 ft 10 in) (22 pied)
PropulsionUp to 2,485 m2 (26,750 sq ft) of sails
Armament
ArmourTimber

Career

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Capture of HMS Swiftsure by Indivisible and Dix-Août, 26 September 1805

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 fleet of Toulon, she collided with Formidable and had to return to harbour.

On 26 September 1805 Indivisible and Dix-Août succeeded in shooting away Swiftsure's yards and masts, crippling her and so capturing her.[2] Swiftsure had two men killed, two men mortally wounded, and another six wounded; the French lost 33 killed and wounded.[2] See main article Action of 24 June 1801.

On 4 February 1803, her name was changed to Brave.

 
Duckworth's Action off San Domingo, 6 February 1806. Brave is dismasted (third left from the far right).

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.

Citations

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  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 "No. 15437". The London Gazette. 19 December 1801. pp. 1505–1506.

References

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  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 153. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
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