Bizarre (64)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by J. L. Coulomb in 1749 in Brest. She was launched in September 1751.
During the Seven Years War, the ship was under the command of:
- in 1755: Captain Antoine-Alexis Périer, Comte de Salvert
- in 1758: Captain Pierre Claude Hocdenau
- in 1759: Captain Louis-Armand-Constantin de Rohan, Prince de Montbazon
The ship was stricken off of the fleet in 1782.
Service during the War
In 1755, the ship took part in the expedition to reinforce Canada and more particularly Louisbourg.
In 1757, the ship was sent to Louisbourg. In August, La Motte, who commanded the French squadron defending Louibourg, judged that his force was strong enough to repulse any British attack and resolved to send the 2nd and 3rd battalions of Berry Infanterie to Québec aboard the Bizarre (64) and Célèbre (64).
In the Spring of 1758, the ship was part of Beaussier's squadron which was left at Louisbourg for the defence of the place by du Chaffault when he sailed for Québec. On June 8, she sailed for Québec where she arrived on June 26. A few days later she sailed for France. On October 10, she captured the Winchelsea (24) and two British merchantmen off Ireland. However, the Winchelesea and one of merchantmen were quickly recaptured. The ship finally reached France with one merchantmen in tow.
In November 1759, in preparation for the planned invasion of England, the ship set sail for Quiberon Bay with the Brest Fleet. On November 20, she took part in the Battle of Quiberon where she was attached to the third division under the Chef d'escadre Saint-André-du-Verger which assumed most of the fighting. After the defeat, during the night of November 20 to 21, the ship along with 7 other French ships of the line hauled in for the Aix Island and took refuge at Rochefort.
To do: campaigns from 1760 to 1762
Characteristics
| Guns | 64
| ||||||
| Crew | 450 to 500 (750 at Quiberon) | ||||||
| Length | 153 ft French feet (49.70 m) | ||||||
| Width | 40 ft 8 in (13.21 m) | ||||||
| Depth | 20 ft (6.50 m) | ||||||
| Displacement | 1,100 tons |
References
Deschênes, Ronald, Répertoire des vaisseaux de ligne français 1682-1780
Harrison, Simon and Manuel Blasco: Three Decks - Warships in the Age of Sail
Vial J. L., Nec Pluribus Impar
N.B.: the section Service during the War is derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
