French ship Berwick
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| Career |  - - |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | Portsmouth, 1775 |
| Captured: | 7 March 1795 (France); 21 October 1805 (Britain) |
| Status: | Sank, 22 October 1805 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Speed: | |
| Range: | No fuel, so limited only by provisions |
| Complement: | 550 officers and men |
| Armament: | 74 guns:
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| Honours and awards: | Battle of Trafalgar |
The Berwick was a 3rd rate 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, originally built at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1775.
She was captured by three French frigates on the 7 March 1795 off Corsica in the Mediterranean. She was towed to Toulon, refitted and commissioned into the French navy.
In September 1795, she sailed from Toulon for Newfoundland as part of a squadron of six ships of the line under Rear-Admiral De Richery. On October, 1795, De Richery's squadron fell in with the British Smyrna convoy, taking 30 of 31 ships and retaking the Censeur, 74. The squadron then put into Cadiz, where it remained refitting for the remainder of the year.
On August 4, 1796, De Richery finally set sail from Cádiz for North America with his seven of the line. His squadron was escorted out into the Atlantic by the Spanish Admiral Don Juan de Lángara with 20 of the line. In September, De Richery destroyed the British Newfoundland fishing fleet.
In November, Berwick returned to Rochefort with four of the other ships from De Richery's squadron, before sailing on to Brest.
By 1803, Berwick was back in the Mediterranean at Toulon.
In March 1805, she sailed for the West Indies as part of a fleet of 11 French ships of the line under Vice-Admiral Villeneuve. Off Cadiz, the fleet was joined by the Aigle, 74, and six Spanish ships of the line under Vice-Admiral Gravina. When the fleet reached the West Indies, Villeneuve sent Commodore Cosmao-Kerjulien with the Pluton and the Berwick to attack the British position on Diamond Rock, which surrendered on June 2nd.
When Villeneuve heard that Nelson has followed him to the West Indies, he sailed for Europe. The fleet was intercepted off Cape Finisterre by Sir Robert Calder with 15 of the line, resulting in the Battle of Cape Finisterre.
After a violent artillery exchange, the fleets were separated in the fog. Exhausted after six months at sea, the fleet anchored in Ferrol before sailing to Cádiz to rest and refit. With his command under question and planning to meet the British fleet to gain a decisive victory, Villeneuve left Cádiz and met the British fleet near Cape Trafalgar.
On the 21 October 1805, Berwick fought at the Battle of Trafalgar, where she was re-captured by the British. She sank near San-Lucar in the tempest the following day.
- See HMS Berwick (1775) for her career in the Royal Navy.
