French ship Hercule (1836)

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Hercule-IMG 8629.jpg
1/40th-scale model of the 100-gun Hercule on display at the Musée national de la Marine.
History
Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svg France
Namesake: Hercules
Builder: Toulon shipyard.
Laid down: 1825
Launched: 1836
Struck: 1860
Fate: Scrapped 1882
General characteristics
Class and type: Hercule class
Displacement: 4440 tonnes
Length: 62.50
Beam: 16.20
Draught: 8.23
Sail plan: 3150 m² of sails
Complement: 955 men
Armament:
Armour: timber

Hercule was a late 100-gun ship of the line of the French Navy and the lead ship of her class. She was launched in 1836, took part in the French campaigns in Algeria and was struck from the navy in 1860. She continued to give service as a hulk, and was broken up in 1882.

Ship of the line type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through to the mid-19th century

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two columns of opposing warships maneuvering to fire with the cannons along their broadsides. In conflicts where opposing ships were both able to fire from their broadsides, the side with more cannons, and therefore more firepower typically had an advantage. Since these engagements were almost invariably won by the heaviest ships carrying the most powerful guns, the natural progression was to build sailing vessels that were the largest and most powerful of their time.

French Navy Maritime arm of the French Armed Forces

The French Navy, informally "La Royale", is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces. Dating back to 1624, the French Navy is one of the world's oldest naval forces. It has participated in conflicts around the globe and played a key part in establishing the French colonial empire.

Contents

Service history

Commanded by Joseph Grégoire Casy, in October 1837 Hercule provided a landing party, including François d'Orléans, Prince of Joinville, third son of the French monarch, to assist in the French campaign to take the city of Constantine from Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, but they arrived 4 days after the city had fallen. [1] A 10-month cruise to West Africa, South America, the Caribbean and the United States followed, with the ship returning to Brest on 11 July 1838. [1]

Joseph Grégoire Casy French politician

Joseph Grégoire Casy was a French naval officer and politician. He became a vice-admiral and a member of the Admiralty board, then entered a career in politics. He was elected a deputy of the Constituent Assembly in 1848, served briefly as Minister of the Navy, and became a senator in the Second French Empire in 1852.

François dOrléans, Prince of Joinville Admiral of the French Navy

François-Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Marie d'Orléans, prince de Joinville was the third son of Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, afterwards king of the French and his wife Marie Amalie of Bourbon-Sicilies. He was an admiral of the French Navy, and a talented artist.

Constantine, Algeria City in Constantine Province, Algeria

Constantine, also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the French department of Constantine until 1962. Located somewhat inland, Constantine is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the tiny Rhumel River.

From 1839, she was appointed to the Mediterranean squadron, under Captain Fauré. In 1842, she was transferred to the Middle East. In October 1850, she was sent to Brest for a refit. Her armament was updated to include Paixhans guns.

Paixhans gun

The Paixhans gun was the first naval gun designed to fire explosive shells. It was developed by the French general Henri-Joseph Paixhans in 1822–1823. The design furthered the evolution of naval artillery into the modern age. Its use presaged the end of wood as the preferred material in naval warships, and the rise of the ironclad.

In 1860, she was struck from the lists of the navy. From this point on, she was used as a support ship. She was used as a prison hulk from 1875 in Brest, and broken up in 1882.

Brest, France Subprefecture and commune in Brittany, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère département in Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon. The city is located on the western edge of continental Europe. With 142,722 inhabitants in a 2007 census, Brest is at the centre of Western Brittany's largest metropolitan area, ranking third behind only Nantes and Rennes in the whole of historic Brittany, and the 19th most populous city in France; moreover, Brest provides services to the one million inhabitants of Western Brittany. Although Brest is by far the largest city in Finistère, the préfecture of the department is the much smaller Quimper.

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References

  1. 1 2 C. Mullié (1851). Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer: de 1789 à 1850 (in French). Poignavant. p. 87.
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