French ship Soleil-Royal (1692)

History
Kingdom of France
Namesake	"Regal Sun" (a synonym for the Sun King, Louis XIV)
Laid down	June 1692
Launched	24 December 1692
Completed	April 1693
Commissioned	March 1693 as Soleil-Royal
Fate	Taken to pieces, 1714
General characteristics
Tonnage	2,400
Length	170 French feet
Beam	46 French feet (14.94 m)
Draught	24½ French feet
Depth of hold	22 French feet
Complement	900 (950 from 1694), + 17 officers
Armament	104 guns

Last updated August 06, 2023

The Soleil Royal (Regal Sun) was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.

This ship was originally planned to be a 2nd Rank two-decker to be built at Brest, but – following the loss of fifteen major French warships by Anglo-Dutch attacks at Cherbourg and La Hougue during the first few days of June, 1692 (N.S.) – she was ordered in the same week to be built instead as a First Rank three-decker of 104 guns. On 21 June she was given the name Foudroyant to replace the previous ship bearing that name (destroyed at La Hogue). She was designed by Étienne Hubac and laid down the same month at Brest Dockyard, and launched on 24 December 1692.

Two more three-deckers were ordered and begun at Brest during June (as Merveilleux) and August 1692 (as Terrible, and a further three-decker was ordered there on 20 January 1693, which Louis XIV ordered should bear the name Soleil Royal to replace the previous ship bearing that name (destroyed at Cherbourg). All three ships were to be designed and built by Blaise Pangalo. However, Étienne Hubac begged the King that that name should be given to the ship he was building instead, because the previous Soleil Royal had been built by his own father, Laurent Hubac, and – as he himself had rebuilt that ship from the keel up at Brest in 1689 – he still possessed the moulds for that ship. Moreover, he pointed out to the King that his own ship would be some 4 feet longer and some 200 tons larger than Pangalo's new ship, so would be more deserving of the name that honoured Louis XIV himself. On 1 March 1693, the King agreed to Hubac's proposal and the names of the two ships were exchanged. Hubac's ship was thus completed under the name Soleil Royal in April 1693 and brought into service.

The new ship took part in the Battle of Lagos on 28 June 1693, and subsequently in the Battle of Vélez-Málaga on 24 August 1704, where she was the flagship of Lieut-Général Joseph Andrault, Marquis de Langeron. She was scuttled in Toulon on Louis's orders in July 1707 to avoid being set alight by the bombardment by the English fleet. She was later put back afloat, but in October 1713 she was judged unfit for service, and was taken to pieces during 1714.

Notes

↑ The French foot (pre-metric) was 6.575% longer than the equivalent English foot.

Related Research Articles

Soleil Royal was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Tourville.

The Triomphant was a ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. One of two sisterships designed and built by Laurent Hubac. Started as Brave in Brest and launched on 20 June 1675, she was renamed Constant six days later, and completed in 1676; she was renamed Triomphant on 28 June 1678. She took part in the Battle of Beachy Head on July 10, 1690, and in the Battle of Barfleur on May 29, 1692.

Triomphant was a First Rank three-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was armed with 94 guns, comprising twenty-eight 36-pounder guns on the lower deck, thirty 18-pounder guns on the middle deck, and twenty-eight 8-pounder guns on the upper deck, with eight 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck. In 1699 the 8-pounders on the upper deck were replaced by twenty-six 12-pounders, and one pair of 6-pounders was removed from the quarterdeck.

The Vendôme was a 72-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, the smallest ship to be classed as a First Rank ship in the French Navy. She was built at Brest Dockyard, designed and constructed by Laurent Hubac. She was nominally a three-decker, but in practice the upper deck was divided into armed sections aft and forward of the unarmed waist, making the upper deck equivalent to a quarterdeck and forecastle.

The Saint Philippe was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was built at Brest Dockyard, designed and constructed by Laurent Hubac. She was nominally a three-decker, but in practice the upper deck was divided into armed sections aft and forward of the unarmed waist, making the upper deck equivalent to a quarterdeck and forecastle.

The Foudroyant was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.

The Foudroyant was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, the lead vessel in the two-ship Foudroyant Class.

The Merveilleux was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, the second vessel in the two-ship Foudroyant Class.

The Terrible was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.

The Tonnant was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, the lead vessel in the two-ship Tonnant Class.

Saint Philippe was a First Rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, the second vessel in the two-ship Tonnant Class.

The Admirable was a First Rank three-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was initially armed with 96 guns, comprising twenty-eight 36-pounder guns on the lower deck, thirty 18-pounder guns on the middle deck, and twenty-eight 8-pounder guns on the upper deck, with ten 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck. In 1699 the 8-pounders on the upper deck were replaced by twenty-six 12-pounders, and two pairs of 6-pounders was removed from the quarterdeck, reducing the ship to 90 guns; one pair of 12-pounders was removed in 1704.

The Admirable was a First Rank three-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was intended to be armed with 88 guns, but was modified during construction and completed with 82 guns, comprising six huge 48-pounders plus eighteen 36-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty-eight 18-pounder guns on the middle deck, and twenty-four 8-pounder guns on the upper deck, with six 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck.

The Ambitieux was a First Rank three-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was initially armed with 92 guns, comprising twenty-eight 36-pounder guns on the lower deck, twenty-eight 18-pounder guns on the middle deck, and twenty-six 8-pounder guns on the upper deck, with ten 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck. By 1706 an additional pair of 8-pounders were added on the upper deck, and an extra pair of 6-pounders was added on the quarterdeck, raising the ship to 96 guns; she briefly received four 100-pounders to replace four 36-pounders, but the latter were restored soon after.

Saint Louis was a second rank two-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was armed with 64 guns, comprising twenty-four 24-pounder guns on the lower deck and twenty-six 12-pounder guns on the upper deck, with eight 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and six 6-pounder guns on the forecastle.

Éole was a second rank two-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was armed with 64 guns, comprising twenty-four 24-pounder guns on the lower deck and twenty-six 12-pounder guns on the upper deck, with eight 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and six 6-pounder guns on the forecastle.

Fort was a second rank two-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was armed with 68 guns, comprising twenty-six 24-pounder guns on the lower deck and twenty-eight 12-pounder guns on the upper deck, with eight 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and six 6-pounder guns on the forecastle.

Prompt was a second rank two-decker ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was armed with 70 guns, comprising twenty-eight 24-pounder guns on the lower deck and thirty 12-pounder guns on the upper deck, with twelve 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and the forecastle.

References

Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 – 1870. p. 418. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
Nomenclature des Vaisseaux du Roi-Soleil de 1661 a 1715. Alain Demerliac (Editions Omega, Nice – various dates).
The Sun King's Vessels (2015) – Jean-Claude Lemineur; English translation by François Fougerat. Editions ANCRE. ISBN 978-2903179885
Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2017) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-9351-1.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] The French foot (pre-metric) was 6.575% longer than the equivalent English foot.

[lower-alpha 1]