French ship Invincible (1780)

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

Detail of Royal Louis sistership at Musee national de la Marine.
History
France
Name	Invincible
Builder	Rochefort
Laid down	20 February 1779
Launched	20 March 1780
Commissioned	May 1780
Fate	Broken up in 1806
General characteristics
Class & type	First-rate ship of the line
Type	Invincible class
Displacement	4670 tonneaux
Tons burthen	2400 port tonneaux
Length	59.8 m (196 ft)
Beam	16.2 m (53 ft)
Height	8.3 m (27 ft)
Depth of hold	7.83m
Decks	3
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Crew	1,055 officers and men in 1780
Armament	110 guns

Invincible was a first-rate ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.

Built on plans by Francois Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers at Rochefort as part of the French naval mobilisation for the American War of Independence, she was a sister-ship of Royal Louis.

She was built within 13 month and completed in May 1780.

American War of Independence

In 1781, stationed in the Antilles, she picked a British convoy. In 1782 she was ordered to Gibraltar, in Lamotte-Picquet's squadron. (Comte de la Motte was her captain April 1781–April 1783). She took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel, where she attacked the rear of the British squadron.

She was refitted several time (1781, 1784 and 1795) until her career came to an end in 1807 when she was disarmed and finally broken up in 1808 at Brest. Her replacement was the Commerce de Marseille of 118 guns.

Representations of Invincible

• 
  View of the Port of Brest by Jean-François Hue
• 
  Invincible, details of Vue du port de Brest by Jean-François Hue

Armament

Armament 1780

Broadside Weight = 1104 French Livre (1191.4368 lbs 540.408 kg)
Lower Gun Deck: 30x French 36-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck: 32x French 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck: 30x French 12-Pounder

Armament 1781

Broadside Weight = 1136 French Livre (1225.9712 lbs 556.072 kg)
Lower Gun Deck: 30x French 36-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck: 32x French 24-pound Carronade
Upper Gun Deck: 30x French 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck/Forecastle: 8x French 8-Pounder

Armament 1784

Broadside Weight = 1168 French Livre (1260.5056 lbs 571.736 kg)
Lower Gun Deck: 30x French 36-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck:32x French 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck:30x French 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck/Forecastle:16x French 8-Pounder

Armament 1795

Broadside Weight = 1252 French Livre (1351.1584 lbs 612.854 kg)
Lower Gun Deck: 30x French 36-Pounder
Middle Gun Deck: 32x French 24-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck:32x French 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck/Forecastle: 4x French 36-Pounder Obusier
Quarterdeck/Forecastle1: 6x French 8-Pounder

References

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671–1870. ISBN   978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC   165892922.
• Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1774 à 1792, Alain Demerliac
• French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861, Rif Winfiled & Stephen S. Roberts

External links

• Invincible 1780 at Threedecks.org
• French site - Vaisseaux de ligne francais de 1682 a 1780
• French site - Troisponts.net