French ship Protecteur

Protecteur was a Souverain-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, the only to have borne the name.

Scale model on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris. This model is a 64-gun, probably mislabeled.
History
French Navy EnsignFrance
NameProtecteur
Namesake"Protector"
BuilderToulon, by plans by Noël Pomet[1]
Laid down29 May 1757 [1]
Launched22 May 1760 [1]
Decommissioned1784 [1]
FateHulked 1784
General characteristics
Class and typeSouverain-class 74-gun ship of the line
Tonnage1550 tonnes
Length53.3 m (174 ft 10 in)
Beam14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
Height7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Complement410 men

Career

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She was laid down in 1757 and launched in 1760.

In 1762, under Captain de L'Ilsle Calian, Protecteur was part of Bompart's squadron.[1] In 1766, she escorted merchantmen under Captain de Broves.[1]

In 1788, Under Captain Dapchon, Protecteur was appointed to Admiral d'Estaing's squadron and took part in the American Revolutionary War.[1] She took part in the Battle of Grenada[2] under Grasse-Limermont.[3]

In 1782, Protecteur was part of the escort of a 20-sail convoy, along with the ship Pégase and the frigates Indiscrète and Andromaque. The English HMS Foudroyant and HMS Queen intercepted, yielding the Third Battle of Ushant in which they captured Pégase and four transports, but where the rest of the French convoy escaped.[1]

From 1784, Protecteur was hulked and used as a hospital in Rochefort.[1]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Roche, vol.1, p.364
  2. ^ "Service historique de la Défense". Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  3. ^ Contenson (1934), p. 187.

References

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