French ship Aigle (1800)
Ship of the line of the French Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aigle was a 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the 1790s. Completed in 1801, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.
 Drawing of the main features of Aigle | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Aigle |
| Namesake | Eagle |
| Builder | Rochefort |
| Laid down | 1794 |
| Launched | 6 July 1800 |
| Captured |
|
| Fate | Wrecked 23 October 1805 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Téméraire-class ship of the line |
| Displacement | 3,069 tonneaux |
| Tons burthen | 1,537 port tonneaux |
| Length | 55.87 m (183 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 14.46 m (47 ft 5 in) |
| Draught | 7.15 m (23.5 ft) |
| Depth of hold | 7.15 m (23 ft 5 in) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Crew | 705 |
| Armament |
|
Description
Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, the Téméraire-class ships had a length of 55.87 metres (183 ft 4 in), a beam of 14.46 metres (47 ft 5 in) and a depth of hold of 7.15 metres (23 ft 5 in). The ships displaced 3,069 tonneaux and had a mean draught of 7.15 metres (23 ft 5 in). They had a tonnage of 1,537 port tonneaux. Their crew numbered 705 officers and ratings during wartime. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged.[1]
The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Téméraire class consisted of twenty-eight 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck and thirty 18-pounder long guns on the upper gun deck. On the quarterdeck and forecastle were a total of sixteen 8-pounder long guns. Beginning with the ships completed after 1787, the armament of the Téméraires began to change with the addition of four 36-pounder obusiers on the poop deck (dunette). Some ships had instead twenty 8-pounders.[2]
Construction and career
Aigle was laid down at the Arsenal de Rochefort on 26 December 1794 and named on 23 March 1795. The ship was launched on 6 July 1800, completed in February 1801 and commissioned on 14 April.[3] In 1805 she sailed to the West Indies with her sister ship Algésiras where they joined a French fleet under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve. Aigle took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in October.[4] She was captured during the battle by a boarding party from HMS Defiance.[5] On the following day, her crew rose up against the British prize crew, and recaptured the ship. However, she was wrecked in the storm of 23 October.[6]