French ship Saint-Esprit

Ship of the line of the French Navy

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Scipion.

The Saint-Esprit in action.
(Detail of an English painting of 1784)

History
France
Name| Saint-Esprit[1]
Namesake| Order of the Holy Spirit
Ordered| 11 January 1762[1]
Builder| Arsenal of Brest[1]
Laid down| May 1762[1]
Launched| 12 October 1765[1]
Christened| 20 January 1762 [1]
Commissioned| 1766[1]
Decommissioned| 26 January 1795[1]
Renamed| Scipion in April 1794[1]
Fate| Wrecked off Brest on 26 January 1795[1]
General characteristics
Class and type| Saint-Esprit-class ship of the line
Displacement| 1,754 tonnes[1]
Length| 59.8 m (196 ft 2 in)[1]
Beam| 14.9 m (48 ft 11 in)[1]
Draught| 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)[1]
Complement| 970
Armament|

* 80 guns:[1]
* 30 × 36-pounder long guns
* 32 × 24-pounder long guns
* 18 × 18-pounder long guns

Saint-Esprit ("Holy Ghost") was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.[1] She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Order of the Holy Spirit, and named in its honour.

## Career

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She took part in the Battle of Ushant under La Motte-Picquet, and to the Armada of 1779.[1]

In 1781, on 29 April, she took part in the Battle of Fort Royal under Chabert-Cogolin.[2][3]

She was renamed Scipion in April 1794, and took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 under Huguet, where she was totally dismasted.[1] She was wrecked on 30 January 1795, during the Croisière du Grand Hiver.[1] Most of her crew were rescued by Trente-et-un Mai.[1][4]

As a young man, Swedish naval officer Johan Herman Schützercrantz served on board the Saint–Esprit; he would later become a rear admiral in Swedish service.[5]

## Citations

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Roche, p.394
2. ^ Troude (1867), p. 100—101.
3. ^ Kerguelen (1796), p. 182-183.
4. ^ Levot, p.207
5. ^ Benson, Adolph B. (1926). Sweden and the American Revolution. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. p. 117\. OCLC 1414856625.

## References

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* Levot, Prosper (1866). Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins (in French). Bertrand.
* Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1\. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
* Kerguelen, Yves-Joseph (1796). Relation des combats et des évènements de la guerre maritime de 1778 entre la France et l'Angleterre (in French). Imprimerie de Patris.
* Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2\. Challamel ainé. OCLC 836362484.

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1795

Shipwrecks|

* 26 Jan: Scipion
* 29 Jan: Auguste
* 30 Jan: Superbe
* Jan: Rover
* Mar: Chambers
* 24 Apr: Galathée
* 1 May: Boyne
* 13 Jul: Alcide
* 2 Aug: HMS Diomede
* 11 Aug: Solicitor General
* Aug: Spy
* Oct: Phyllis
* 18 Nov: Golden Grove
* Nov: Ann and Eliza, HMS Fleche
* 30 Dec: HMS Amethyst
* Unknown date: Chaser

Other incidents|

* Mar: HMS Swiftsure
* Apr: HMS Victorious
* Jun: HMS Flying Fish
* Sep: Marquis Cornwallis
* Oct: Hibberts
* Nov: Ranger
* 11 Dec: HMS Shark
* Unknown date: USRC Eagle, HMS Lynx

1794 1796
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