French ship Fougueux (1785)

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

Scale model of the Achille, sister-ship of the Fougueux, on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris
Career (France)
Namesake: "Impetuous"
Builder: Lorient shipyard
Laid down: 1784
Launched: 1785
Fate: Sunk after the Battle of Trafalgar
General characteristics
Class and type: Seventy-four Téméraire class ship of the line
Displacement: 2900 tonnes
Length: 55.87 m (172 French feet)
Beam: 14.90 m (44 French feet, 6 inches)
Draught: 7.26 m (22 French feet)
Propulsion: Sail 2485 m²
Complement: 3 officers + 690 men
Armament:

74 guns:

  • 28 x 36 pdr (16 kg)
  • 30 x 24 pdr (11 kg)
  • 16 x 8 pdr (3.6 kg)
  • 4 x 36 pdr (16 kg) carronades

The Fougueux was a Téméraire class 74-gun French ship of the line built at Lorient from 1784 to 1785 by engineer Segondat.

She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, firing the first shot of the battle upon HMS Royal Sovereign. She later attempted to come to the aid of the Redoutable by engaging HMS Temeraire. After badly damaging the Fougueux with broadsides, Temeraire's first-lieutenant, Thomas Fortescue Kennedy, led a boarding party onto Fougueux, entering the French ship via her main deck ports and chains.[1][2] The French tried to defend the decks port by port, but were steadily overwhelmed. Fougueux's captain, Louis Alexis Baudoin, had suffered a fatal wound earlier in the fighting, leaving Commander Francois Bazin in charge. On learning that nearly all of the officers were dead or wounded and that most of the guns were out of action, Bazin surrendered the ship to Kennedy.[3][4]

According the report of Captain Lucas of the Redoutable,

“ the Fougueux, which, having fought against several of the enemy's ships, had been left by them without having lowered her flag. She was dismasted and unrigged, and floating an unmanageable hulk. On fouling the group of ships she was boarded by the Temeraire. The Fougueux was, however, beyond making serious resistance. Her brave captain, Baudouin, though, even then made an effort, but in vain. He was killed at the outset, and his second in command was wounded at the same moment; whereupon some men of the Temeraire sprang on board and took possession. ”

Contents

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Willis. The Fighting Temeraire. p. 193. 
  2. ^ Adkin. The Trafalgar Companion. p. 508. 
  3. ^ Willis. The Fighting Temeraire. p. 194. 
  4. ^ Clayton & Craig. Trafalgar. p. 210. 

References

  • Adkin, Mark (2007). The Trafalgar Companion: A Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-84513-018-9. 
  • Clayton, Tim; Craig, Phil. Trafalgar: The Men, the Battle, the Storm. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-304-83028-X. 
  • Willis, Sam (2010). The Fighting Temeraire: Legend of Trafalgar. Quercus. ISBN 978-1-84916-261-6. 

External links