French ship Formidable (1795)
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 "Fine deed of arms by captain Troude", Antoine Léon Morel-Fatio. |
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| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Formidable |
| Builder: | Toulon |
| Laid down: | as Figuires, August 1794 |
| Launched: | 17 March 1795 |
| In service: | 27 October 1795 |
| Captured: | 3 November 1805 |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Brave |
| Namesake: | Bravery |
| Acquired: | 3 November 1805 |
| Fate: | Broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Tonnant class ship of the line |
| Displacement: | 1800 tonnes |
| Length: | 59.3 metres |
| Beam: | 15.3 metres |
| Draught: | 7.8 metres |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Armament: |
80 guns |
| Armour: | Timber |
Formidable was an 80-gun Tonnant class ship of the line of the French navy, laid down as Figuires and renamed in 1795. She was launched at Toulon in 1795.
She fought in the Battle of Algeciras under capitaine de frégate Aimable Gilles Troude, where her rigging was damaged.
The following day, as she sailed isolated behind the French fleet, she was chased by the frigate HMS Thames and the ships of the line HMS Venerable (74), HMS Caesar (80) and HMS Superb (74). She let the HMS Venerable catch on and took her and heavy fire, leaving her dismasted and in danger of sinking. The rest of the British squadron had to come to aid the Venerable, allowing the Formidable to escape to Cádiz, acclaimed by the population. Troude was immediately promoted to capitaine de vaisseau. Bonaparte later met with him and called him "the French Horatius".
In 1802 and 1803, the Formidable served in Toulon under Admiral Latouche Tréville.
On 17 January 1805, she went to sea under Admiral Villeneuve, together with ten other ships of the line and eight frigates, and on 20 January the fleet sailed for the Martinique in the Caribbean, which it reached on 13 May. The fleet captured Diamond Rock from the British, but Villeneuve returned to Europe on hearing that Nelson had arrived in the West Indies.
On 22 June 1805, the returning Franco-Spanish fleet was intercepted by a British fleet under Sir Robert Calder, resulting in the Battle of Cape Finisterre. After a violent artillery exchange and the capture of two of the Spanish ships, the fleets were separated in the fog. Exhausted after six months at sea, the fleet anchored in 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.
Formidable was the flagship of vice-admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley, who commanded the six-ship vanguard of the French fleet, along with Formidable, Scipion, Duguay-Trouin, Mont-Blanc, Intrépide and Neptune. The vanguard was kept as a reserve, and joined the battle around 16:00. They only sailed close to the battle and fired a few shots.
On 3 November 1805, British Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, with Caesar, Hero, Courageux, Namur and four frigates, defeated and captured what remained of the squadron. Formidable was taken and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Brave.
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