French ship Sceptre (1780)
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| Career (France) |    |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sceptre |
| Namesake: | Sceptre; National Convention; Battle of Marengo |
| Builder: | Brest |
| Laid down: | 25 may 1780 |
| Launched: | 21 September 1780 |
| Commissioned: | October 1780 |
| Decommissioned: | 1802 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1580 tonnes |
| Length: | 54.1 metres |
| Beam: | 14 metres |
| Draught: | 7.3 metres |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 750 men |
| Armament: | 74 guns |
| Armour: | Timber |
The Sceptre was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.
In 1781 and 1782, she took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, under Admiral de Grasse. She fought at the Battle of the Chesapeake and at the Battle of the Saintes. In August, Sceptre and Engageante, under Lapérouse, captured two English forts (Prince of Wales Fort and York Fort) on the coast of Hudson Bay. In 1783, she was decommissioned in Brest.
On 29 September 1792, she was renamed Convention. She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, engaging HMS Caesar and HMS Bellerophon.
She later took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver of Winter 1794-1795, in the Expédition d'Irlande, and in the Cruise of Bruix.
In August 1800, she was renamed Marengo, and was condemned in 1802. She was used as a prison hulk in Brest before being broken up in 1811.
