French ship Océan (1790)
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 1/48th-scale model of the Océan at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris |
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| Career France |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Arsenal de Toulon |
| Laid down: | 1790 |
| Launched: | 1791 |
| Renamed: | Ordered as États de Bourgogne; Côte d'Or in January 1793; Montagne in October 1793; Océan in 1795. |
| Status: | Brokep up in 1856 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2 700 tonnes |
| Length: | 65,18 metres (196,6 French feet) |
| Beam: | 16,24 metres (50 French feet) |
| Draught: | 8,12 metres (25 French feet) |
| Propulsion: | sail, 3 265 m² |
| Speed: | |
| Complement: | 1 079 men |
| Armament: | Lower deck: 32 36-pound guns middle deck: 34 24-pound guns |
Océan was a 118-gun first-rate three-decker ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.
She ordered as États de Bourgogne and was launched at Brest in 1790 and like many French ships of the line during the Revolutionary period, she was renamed several times, becoming Côte d'Or in January 1793, Montagne in October 1793, and finally Océan in 1795. She served until 1855.
[edit] Design
She was designed by the engineer Jacques-Noël Sané, who was nicknamed "The Naval Vauban", and marks a step in the evolution of ship of the line design. All further French ships-of-the-line were inspired from her plans. The hull was simple with straight lines, minimal ornaments, and curved sides. The rear was almost integrated into the hull.
The performances of such vessels were almost comparable to those of a frigate. English shipyards of the time tended to copy the French vessels which were captured.
The masts were both thiner and higher, but also stronger than the 18th century designs. The aft sail of the mizzen had taken its definitive shape around 1780; Topgallant sails were common, which allowed to vary the surface of sails according to the wind with more subtlety. This allowed to evolve closer to the direction opposed to the wind. The speed, however, remained low, since the hull were gross and tended to drift.
A large model at the 1/48th scale can be seen at the Musée de la Marine in Paris.
[edit] Career
As the largest ship of the line in the Brest fleet, the ship spent much of her early career as the fleet flagship.
As Montagne, the ship was the flagship of Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse in the Combat de Prairial (known in English litterature as the Glorious First of June) in 1794. She was badly damaged by the HMS Royal Sovereign, losing 313 men and receiving 233 round shots in her hull.
On the 17 of May 1795, she was renamed Peuple; a month later, on the 23 of June she fought in the Battle of Groix as Villaret's flagship. Returning to Lorient three days later, she was renamed to Océan.
She refitted in Brest in 1797.
In 1801, she once again served as Villaret's flagship, ferrying troops of Leclerc's expedition to Saint-Domingue.
She was decommissioned on the 2nd of August 1850, and used as a floating artillery battery from may 1851.
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 The Océan, as Montagne, at the Combat de Prairial |
