Guerrier (74)
Hierarchical Path: Seven Years War (Main Page) >> Navies >> French Navy >> Guerrier (74)
Origin and History
This ship of the line was built by J.-L. Coulomb in Toulon (France) in 1751. She was launched in 1753.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- 1756: M. de Grammont
The ship was striken off of the fleet in 1798.
Service during the War
In 1756, the ship participated to the amphibious expedition against Minorca. On May 20, she took part to the battle of Minorca against admiral Byng's squadron where a French fleet prevented him to bring reinforcement to Fort St. Philip de Mahon.
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 invasions 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, 5 of de la Clue's ships lost sight of his flagship and steered for Cadiz. In the afternoon of August 18, the ship took part in the disastrous battle of Lagos. During the night of August 18 to 19, Boscawen pursued the French squadron. Meanwhile, the Souverain (74) and Guerrier (74) altered course to the west, and escaped.
Characteristics
| Guns | 74
| ||||||
| Crew | n/a | ||||||
| Length | 165' (53.59 m) in French feet | ||||||
| Width | 43' (13.99 m) | ||||||
| Depth | 20' 4" (6.60 m) | ||||||
| Displacement | 1500 tons (1361 metric tons) |
References
Anonymous, A Complete History of the Present War, from its Commencement in 1756, to the End of the Campaign, 1760, London, 1761
Fortescue J. W., A History of the British Army Vol. II, MacMillan, London, 1899, pp. 291-295
Pajol, Charles P. V., Les Guerres sous Louis XV, vol. VI, Paris, 1891, pp. 3-19
Unknown author, Répertoire des vaisseaux de ligne français 1682-1780
