French ship Souverain (1757)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other ships of the same name, see French ship Souverain.
| Career (France) |    |
|---|---|
| Name: | Souverain |
| Namesake: | "Sovereign" |
| Ordered: | 25 October 1755 |
| Builder: | Toulon |
| Laid down: | December 1755 |
| Launched: | 6 may 1757 |
| In service: | November 1757 |
| Renamed: | Peuple Souverain in September 1792 |
| Captured: | 2 August 1798 |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Guerrier |
| Acquired: | 12 August 1798 |
| Fate: | Guard ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Souverain class ship of the line |
| Displacement: | 1536 tonnes |
| Length: | 53.3 metres |
| Beam: | 14.1 metres |
| Draught: | 7.1 metres |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Armament: |
74 guns: |
| Armour: | Timber |
The Souverain was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.
She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake, in 1781. In 1792, she was renamed Peuple Souverain ("Sovereign People").
In 1798, she took part in the battle of the Nile. A shot from HMS Orion (at the rear of the British line) cut her cable and she drifted out of position,[1] later in the battle being captured by the British.[2] She was subsequently recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Guerrier, but was in too bad a shape to serve in the high sea, so she was used as a guard ship.
