Tall Ships – Royal Louis

Royal Louis was a 110-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was designed and built at Brest Dockyard by Léon-Michel Guignace.

  • Name: Royal Louis
  • Namesake: Louis of France
  • Builder: Brest Dockyard
  • Laid down: 8 March 1779
  • Launched: 20 March 1780
  • Completed: June 1780
  • Commissioned: June 1780
  • Renamed: Républicain (29 September 1792)
  • Fate: wrecked, 24 December 1794
Royal Louis (1780)
  • Class and type: 106-gun ship of the line
  • Tonnage: 2,400 tonnes
  • Displacement: 4,835 tonnes
  • Length: 60.4 metres
  • Beam: 16.2 metres
  • Draught: 8.6 metres
  • Depth of hold: 24½ French feet
  • Complement: 1,150
  • Armament: 106 guns
    30 x 48-pounders on the lower deck
    32 x 24-pounders on the middle deck
    32 x 12-pounders on the upper deck
    12 x 8-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle
    4 more 8-pounders were added in 1784
  • Armour : timber

Career

In 1780, Royal Louis was under Beaussier de Chateauvert. She took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel on 20 October 1782 under Beausset, with Verdun de La Crenne as flag captain, although she did not engage.

She was renamed Républicain in September 1792. Under this name, she took part in the Third Battle of Ushant, being the last ship of the French rear. She was attacked, totally dismasted, and struck her colours; however, the British failed to possession, and she returned to Rochefort.

On 24 December 1794, she took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver. As the fleet exited Brest harbour, she ran aground with the loss of 10 men. Her crew abandoned ship, and the wreck was destroyed in a tempest a few days later.

Thank you to Wikipedia® as one of the main sources of information of this page as well as the researchers of our team.
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