French ship Illustre (1811)

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

Zr.Ms. Prins van Oranje, ex Illustre in 1817, by Nicolas Cammillieri of Malta
History
France
Name	Illustre
Namesake	Illustrious
Ordered	July 1807
Builder	Anvers, Belgium
Launched	June 1811
Stricken	1814
Fate	Sold for breaking up 1825
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

Illustre 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. Illustre was fitted with fourteen 12-pounder long guns and fourteen 36-pounder carronades. ^[1]

Construction and career

Illustre was ordered in July 1807 and named on 27 July. ^[2] The ship was laid down the following month in Antwerp and launched on 9 June 1811. She was commissioned four days later and completed in October. ^[3] Illustre was assigned to the Scheldt Squadron in February 1812. ^[2] The ship was ceded to the Royal Netherlands Navy under the terms the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814 and renamed Prins van Oranje. She became a sheer hulk in 1819 and was sold for scrap in 1825. ^[3]

Citations

1. Winfield & Roberts, p. 57
2. Roche, p. 250
3. Winfield & Roberts, p. 59

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