French ship Diadème (1756)

History
France
Name:	Diadème
Namesake:	Diadem
Ordered:	10 September 1755 [1]
Builder:	Brest [1]
Laid down:	September 1755 [1]
Launched:	26 July 1756 [1]
Commissioned:	November 1756 [1]
Decommissioned:	1797
Renamed:	Brutus on 29 September 1792 [1]
Fate:	Broken up, 1797 [1]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Diadème-class ship of the line
Tons burthen:	1,500 tonnes (1,476 long tons)
Length:	54.6 m (179 ft 2 in)
Beam:	14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
Draught:	6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Propulsion:	Sail
Armament:	74 guns: [1] ; 28 × 36-pounder long guns ; 30 × 18-pounder long guns ; 16 × 8-pounder long guns;
Armour:	Timber

Diadème was the lead ship of the Diadème-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.

Career

On 17 March 1757, along with the 64-gun Éveillé, she captured HMS Greenwich, commanded by Captain Robert Roddam, off Saint-Domingue. In 1761, she was under Breugnon.[2]

In 1780, under Picot de Dampierre, she was part of La Motte-Piquet's division, along with Annibal, Amphion and Réfléchi.

She took part in the naval operations in the American Revolutionary War under de Grasse, notably fighting at the Battle of the Chesapeake under Louis Augustin de Monteclerc.[3][4]

At the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782 it was the gap between Diadème and the mastless Glorieux which allowed HMS Formidable to break the French line.[5] She was severely damaged by Formidable and withdrew from the battle. on 25 April she was one of the ships ordered to rally at Cap Francois on San Domingo with de Vaudreuil's fleet.[6]

On 29 September 1792, she was renamed Brutus.[1]

She was razéed down to a 42-gun frigate in May 1794, and cruised off Groix under Captain Baud-Vachères.[1] She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 in June,[7] taking the Indomptable in tow.[8][9]

Fate

Brutus was eventually broken up in 1797.[1]

Sources and references

Notes

Citations

Roche (2005), p. 149.
Archives nationales (2011), p. 165.
Contenson (1934), p. 228.
Troude (1867), p. 109.
Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.122
Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.127
Leplat, P. (2003). "Histoire de l'ile de Groix et de la famille Gourong". enguerrand.gourong.free.fr. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
de Rambaud, Guy (2002). "Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse". histoire-empire.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.

Bibliography

Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion.
Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). 2. Challamel ainé.
Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.

External links

Ships of the line
Archives nationales (2011). "Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2020.

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[FOOTNOTERoche2005149-1] Roche (2005), p. 149.

[FOOTNOTEArchives_nationales2011165-2] Archives nationales (2011), p. 165.

[FOOTNOTEContenson1934228-3] Contenson (1934), p. 228.

[FOOTNOTETroude1867109-4] Troude (1867), p. 109.

[5] Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.122

[6] Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.127

[7] Leplat, P. (2003). "Histoire de l'ile de Groix et de la famille Gourong". enguerrand.gourong.free.fr. Retrieved 18 February 2013.

[9] Rambaud, Guy (2002). "Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse". histoire-empire.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.