Formidable (80)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by J.L. Coulomb in 1749 in Brest and launched in 1751.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- in the French Service:
- in November 1759: Captain Saint-André
Captured by the Royal Navy in 1759, she became "H.M.S. Formidable".
The ship was stricken off of the Royal Navy in 1768.
Service during the War
In the French service
In 1755, the ship took part to the expedition to reinforce Canada.
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 and carried his flag. This division assumed most of the fighting. At 2:30 PM, the ship was attacked by the Resolution (74) and, in addition, received a broadside or two from every other British ship that passed her. About 4:00 PM, the ship, having been severely treated, struck. The loss on board of her was terrible, M. Saint-André-du-Verger and upwards of 200 others being killed. She was taken possession of by the Resolution (74) and incorporated into the British Royal Navy.
To do: campaigns from 1760 to 1762
Characteristics
| Guns |
| ||||||
| Crew | 800-1000 men | ||||||
| Length | 177' 6" (57,49 m) in French feet | ||||||
| Width | 44' 10" (14,29 m) | ||||||
| Depth | 21' 6" (6,98 m) | ||||||
| Displacement | 1800 tons |
References
Deschênes, Ronald, Répertoire des vaisseaux de ligne français 1682-1780
Vial J. L., Nec Pluribus Impar
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns and battles.
