French ship Alcide (1782)
The Alcide was a 74-gun Pégase class ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1782.
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}   France | |
| Name: | Alcide |
| Builder: | Rochefort |
| Laid down: | July 1781 |
| Launched: | 25 May 1782 |
| In service: | January 1783 |
| Fate: | Destroyed at the Battle of Hyères |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 74-gun Pégase class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen: | 1500 tonnes |
| Length: | 55.2 m (181 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.3 m (47 ft) |
| Draught: | 6.8 m (22 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: | 600 |
| Armament: | 74 guns of various weights of shot, later upgraded to 78 |
In 1782, she took part in the American war of Independence in De Grasse's fleet.
She took part in the Battle of Hyères, under captain Le Blond Saint-Hilaire. She was the last ship of the French rear when she was becalmed and had to fight HMS Victory, Culloden, and Cumberland. She managed to damage the rigging of Culloden, but was quickly battered by her overwhelmingly superior opponents. She surrendered to Cumberland at 2h. The frigates Justice and Alceste attempted to take her in tow to safety, but were repelled by gunfire from Victory.
Soon thereafter, a fire broke out, reportedly in her tops[1] or by her own Heated shots. She exploded 30 minutes afterwards with the loss of 300.
References
- Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte française, Jean-Michel Roche
- Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.