HMS Tonnant (1798)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Career (France)
The Tonnant at the Battle of the Nile. By Louis Lebreton.
Name:	Tonnant
Launched:	1789
Honours and awards:	Participated in: Battle of Genoa Battle of the Nile
Captured:	2 August 1798, by Royal Navy
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Tonnant
Acquired:	2 August 1798
Honours and awards:	Participated in: Battle of Trafalgar Battle of Baltimore
Fate:	Broken up, 1821
General characteristics
Class and type:	Tonnant class ship of the line
Displacement:	1800 tonnes
Tons burthen:	2190 tons
Length:	59.3 metres (197 ft 6 in, gun deck length)
Beam:	15.3 metres (50 ft 7 in)
Draught:	7.8 metres
Depth of hold:	7.2 m (24 ft)
Propulsion:	Sails
Armament:	80 guns 30 36-pounders 32 24-pounders 18 12-pounders 4 36-pounder howitzers

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Tonnant.

For other ships of the same name, see French ship Tonnant.

The Tonnant ("Thundering") was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

She fought in the battles of Genoa on 14 March 1795 and the Nile on 1 August 1798 under Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars. During the battle, she forced HMS Bellerophon to strike her colours and forced HMS Majestic off combat. Duuetit-Thouars had both legs and an arm shot off, and commanded his ship until he died. The Tonnant eventually surrendered and was recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Tonnant.

During the Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805), under the command of Captain Charles Tyler, she captured the French ship Algésiras of 74 guns.

In the War of 1812, under the command of Captain Wainwright, HMS Tonnant was the flagship for Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane during most of the campaign in Chesapeake Bay, directing attacks on Washington and Baltimore, and the Battle of New Orleans. It was aboard the Tonnant that the Americans, Colonel John Stuart Skinner and Francis Scott Key dined with Vice Admiral Cochrane, Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn and Major General Robert Ross, where they negotiated the release of a prisoner, Dr. William Beanes. After his release, Skinner, Key and Beanes were allowed to return to their own sloop, but were not allowed to return to Baltimore because they had become familiar with the strength and position of British units and knew of the British intention to attack Baltimore. As a result, Key witnessed the bombarding of Fort McHenry and was inspired to write a poem called The Defense of Ft. McHenry, later named The Star Spangled Banner.