French ship Solitaire
Ship of the line of the French Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Solitaire was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, built by Antoine Groignard[3] and launched in 1774, lead ship of her class. She was captured by the Royal Navy on 6 December 1782, and commissioned as the third rate HMS Solitaire. She was sold out of the Navy in 1790.
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} France | |
| Name | Solitaire |
| Launched | 22 October 1774 |
| Captured | 6 December 1782, by Royal Navy |
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Solitaire |
| Acquired | 6 December 1782 |
| Fate | Sold, 1790 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class & type | Solitaire class ship of the line |
| Displacement | 2250 tonneaux |
| Tons burthen | 1090 port tonneaux |
| Length | 51 metres [2] |
| Beam | 13.2 metres [2] |
| Draught | 6.4 metres [2] |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament |
|
Career
In 1776, Solitaire was under Chef d'Escadre Chartres as flagship of one of the three division of the Escadre d'évolution that year.[4] In June, she collided with Terpsichore and both ships had to repair in Cadiz.[5][6]
In 1778, Solitaire was part of the Third Division of the Blue squadron in the fleet of Orvilliers,[7] and took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778 under Captain Briqueville.[8][5]
In 1779, she was part of a division under Louis Augustin de Monteclerc, also comprising the frigates Inconstante and Surveillante, and led an expedition to hunt down privateers. The division returned to Brest on 4 May 1779 with 400 prisoners.[9] Later that year, Solitaire was attached to a squadron under Orvilliers.[9][10]
She took part in the Battle of Fort Royal on 29 April 1781 under Cicé-Champion.[11]
Solitaire was part of a squadron that comprised Triton, Résolue, Nymphe, and the brig Speedy. The French squadron sailed on 24 November 1782 from Saint-Pierre, Martinique.[12]
After a dark night, Solitaire, Captain de Borda, found herself in the morning close to a squadron of eight British ships under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, which was on its way from Gibraltar. The English gave chase and Solitaire sailed to delay them and give the rest of the French squadron a chance to escape.[12]
At 12:30 and engagement developed between Solitaire and HMS Ruby. As another British vessel approached Solitaire had to strike. Speedy was captured in the same action,[13] after a vigorous defence. In the action, her captain, Ribiers, was killed, together with a large part of her crew.[12] Among the crew members taken prisoners was the young Swedish naval officer Johan Herman Schützercrantz, who would later become a rear admiral in Swedish service.[14]
