French ship Saint Michel (1741)

64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy

History
France
Name| Saint Michel
Builder| Jean-Marie Helie,[1] Brest [2]
Laid down| November 1738 [2]
Launched| January 1741 [2]
In service| May 1741 [2]
Out of service| May 1786 [2]
Fate| Hulked 1788
General characteristics
Class and type| Saint Michel class ship of the line
Tons burthen| 950 tons [2]
Length| 46.6 metres [2]
Beam| 12.5 metres [2]
Draught| 6.3 metres [2]
Depth of hold| 5.9 metres [1]
Propulsion| Sails
Sail plan| Full-rigged ship
Armament| 64 guns

Saint Michel was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

## Career

[edit]

Built for the Crown, Saint Michel was originally manned by officers of the French East India Company. During the War of the Austrian Succession, Saint Michel was part of a squadron under Admiral de Rochambeau; on 17 August 1744, she captured the 20-gun HMS Solebay near Gibraltar.[2] In 1747, her command was transferred to Navy officers.[2]

In 1761, she was recommissioned in Rochefort under Captain de Lizardais to serve in the Seven Years' War, to serve in the Caribbean theatre, but she never actually departed.[2] She was then refitted as a 60 gun ship in 1762.[1]

During the American Revolutionary War, Saint Michel took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778,[1] under Mithon de Genouilly.[3] She and later took part in the capture of HMS Ardent off Plymouth on 17 August 1779.[2]

She took part in the Battle of Martinique in the Caribbean on 17 April 1780,[1] under Chevalier d'Aymar.[4]

On 11 December 1781, Bussy-Castelnau departed Cadiz with a squadron comprising Saint-Michel and the 74-gun Illustre, escorting three transports, to make his junction at Tenerife with another squadron under Guichen. the next day, they encountered a British squadron under Kempenfelt.[5] In the subsequent Second Battle of Ushant, most of the French transports were captured by the British, except Marquis de Castries and Neptune-Royal, which reached Sainte-Croix carrying siege artillery and an artillery company.[6]

Bussy sailed on towards the Indian Ocean, arriving to Table Bay in early April.[6] He landed his troops to reinforce the Dutch Cape Colony against a possible British attack, and on 2 May he sailed to Isle de France (Mauritius), where Saint-Michel and Illustre arrived on 31, the transports following a few days later. [7] Informed that Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves had left the island on 7 December 1781 with his squadron to attack Trincomalee, Bussy decided to attach the 40-gun frigate Consolante to his squadron, as well as 800 men from the garrison which he embarked on 9 transports, and go reinforce him. [8]

On 21 August 1782, Ilustre and Saint-Michel arrived at Batacalo, making their junction with the squadron under Suffren. They were escorting 8 transports and preceded by the corvette Fortune, under Lusignan.[9]

Appointed to Suffren's squadron in the Indian Ocean, she took part in the battles of Trincomalee.[10] After D'Aymar was promoted to Annibal, Suffren appointed Lieutenant Beaumont le Maître to replace him. Saint Michel took part in the Cuddalore,[11][12] before she returned to France in 1784.[2]

Saint Michel carried out another mission to the Indian Ocean in 1787 before returning to France to be hulked the next year.[2]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "French Third Rate ship of the line 'Le Saint Michel' (1741)". Threedecks. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Roche (2005), p. 398.
3. ^ Troude (1867), p. 7.
4. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 338.
5. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 184.
6. ^ a b Cunat (1852), p. 185.
7. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 186.
8. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 187.
9. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 205.
10. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 217.
11. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 301-302.
12. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 656.

## References

[edit]

* Cunat, Charles (1852). Histoire du Bailli de Suffren. Rennes: A. Marteville et Lefas. p. 447.
* Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1905). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. OCLC 763372623.
* Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 398\. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
* Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2\. Challamel ainé. OCLC 836362484.