Fantasque (64)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by Joseph Chapelle in Toulon, starting in July 1757, and launched on May 10 1758. She was first commissioned in May 1759.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- in 1759: Captain Chevalier de Castillon Cadet
The ship was hulked in Martinique in November 1784
Service during the War
In 1759, the ship was part of the fleet assembled at Toulon under de la Clue which was destined to reinforce the main French fleet at Brest for the planned invasion of Great Britain. By mid May, de la Clue's squadron was almost ready for sea when a British squadron under the command of Boscawen, conducting operations in the Mediterranean, appeared off Toulon and blockaded the harbour. At the beginning of July, Boscawen was compelled to go to Gibraltar for provisions and repairs. On August 5, de la Clue set sail from Toulon to make a junction with de Conflans' fleet at Brest. On August 17, de la Clue's fleet (10 ships of the line, 2 50-gun ships and 3 frigates) passed the straits of Gibraltar where it was sighted by the Gibraltar (20). Alarmed, Boscawen set sail from Gibraltar to intercept de la Clue. During the night of August 17 to 18, this ship along with 4 others of de la Clue's squadron lost sight of his flagship and steered for Cadiz. She did not take part in the disastrous battle of Lagos in the afternoon of August 18.
Characteristics
| Guns | 64
| ||||||
| Crew | 9 officers, 480 men | ||||||
| Length at gundeck | 151 ft (49.04 m) French feet | ||||||
| Width | 40 ft 6 in (13.15) m | ||||||
| Depth | 19 ft 6 in (6.19 m) | ||||||
| Displacement | 1,150 tons (1200 metric tons) |
References
French Wikipedia
Harrison, Simon and Manuel Blasco: Three Decks - Warships in the Age of Sail
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
