French ship Superbe (1784)
 Scale model of the Achille, sister-ship of French ship Superbe (1784), on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
| |
| Name: | Superbe |
| Namesake: | "Superb" |
| Builder: | Brest |
| Laid down: | July 1782 |
| Launched: | 11 November 1784 |
| In service: | 1785 |
| Out of service: | 1795 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 30 January 1795 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Téméraire class ship of the line |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 55.87 metres (183.3 ft) (172 pied) |
| Beam: | 14.90 metres (48 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 7.26 metres (23.8 ft) (22 pied) |
| Propulsion: | Up to 2,485 m2 (26,750 sq ft) of sails |
| Armament: |
|
| Armour: | Timber |
The Superbe was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. Her hull was copper sheathed.
She took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, where she sank due to a leak. Her crew were rescued by Pierre Maurice Julien de Quérangal.
Three-masted, with two decks, 76 guns and extreme manoeuvrability won Le Superbe a lot of admirers, including the English. Her architect was the famous Jacques Noel Sane. She required 700 men for the smooth running of the vessel.
The eminent shipwright Anthony Deane was directed by Charles II to build his new warships along the lines of Le Superbe, which had open galleries. They first appeared became increasingly common in English ships.
Le Superbe formed part of Admiral Villaret Joyeuse’s fleet. It was a period of great battles against the British fleet.
Le Superbe came to a tragic end being sunk in a storm in 1795. It was a masterful piece of art and beautiful sculpture that sank to the bottom of the ocean