French ship Auguste (1811)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Auguste.

The Robuste, sister-ship of the Auguste
History
France
Name	Auguste
Ordered	31 August 1807
Builder	Anvers, Belgium
Laid down	1807
Launched	25 April 1811
Stricken	1827
Fate	Broken up 1827
General characteristics
Class & type	Bucentaure-class ship of the line
Displacement	3,868 tonneaux
Tons burthen	2,034 port tonneaux
Length	59.28 m (194 ft 6 in)
Beam	15.27 m (50 ft 1 in)
Draught	7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)
Depth of hold	7.64 m (25 ft 1 in)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Crew	866 (wartime)
Armament	90 guns: Lower gun deck: 30 × 36 pdr guns Upper gun deck: 32 × 24 pdr guns Forecastle and Quarterdeck: 14 × 12 pdr guns & 14 × 36 pdr carronades

Auguste was a 3rd rank, 90-gun Bucentaure-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the first decade of the 19th century. Completed in 1811, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Description

Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, the Bucentaure-class ships had a length of 59.28 metres (194 ft 6 in), a beam of 15.27 metres (50 ft 1 in) and a depth of hold of 7.64 metres (25 ft 1 in). The ships displaced 3,868 tonneaux and had a mean draught of 7.8 metres (25 ft 7 in). They had a tonnage of 2,034 port tonneaux. Their crew numbered 866 officers and ratings during wartime. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged. ^[1]

The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Bucentaure class consisted of thirty 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck and thirty-two 24-pounder long guns on the upper gun deck. The armament on the quarterdeck and forecastle varied as the ships' authorised armament was changed over the years that the Bucentares were built. Auguste was fitted with fourteen 12-pounder long guns and fourteen 36-pounder carronades. ^[1]

Construction and career

Auguste was ordered on 31 August 1807 and laid down in the following month in Antwerp. The ship was named on 17 October and launched on 25 April 1811. She was commissioned the following day and completed in July. ^[2] August was assigned to the Scheldt Squadron in February 1812 and participated in the defence of Antwerp in March 1814. She was renamed Illustre that same month, following the Bourbon Restoration. The Treaty of Fontainebleau left her to France, and with 11 other ships of the line, she sailed to her new station in Brest in October. The ship was disarmed the next month, and never sailed again. In a state of disrepair, she was broken up in 1827. ^[3]

Citations

1. Winfield & Roberts, p. 57
2. Winfield & Roberts, p. 59
3. Roche, p. 57

References

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours[Dictionary of French Warships from Colbert to Today]. Vol. 1: 1671-1870. Roche. ISBN   978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC   165892922.
• Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S. (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84832-204-2