Intrépide (74)
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Origin and History
The ship was built by B. Ollivier at Brest and launched in 1747.
During the Seven Years' War, the ship was under the command of:
- in 1757: captain Kersaint
- in November 1759: Captain Chasteloger
The ship was striken off of the fleet in 1781.
Service during the War
In October 1757, the ship was the flagship of a French squadron under the command of Captain Kersaint. This squadron had been sent from Africa to Cap-François (actual Cap-Haïtien) to escort a convoy of French ships to France. On October 21, Kersaint's squadron engaged a British squadron in the combat of Cap-François. The British ships were so badly damaged that they had to return to Jamaica for repair. Kersaint quickly repaired his ships and, seizing this opportunity, set sail for France with the French convoy.
In the Spring of 1758, the ship was part du Chaffault squadron who reinforced Louisbourg. Still in the spring, she followed du Chaffault to Québec before the arrival of the British expedition who captured Louisbourg at the end of July. In the Fall, du Chaffault sailed from Québec for France with his squadron. On October 27, it met Boscawen's squadron returning to Great Britain but after a brief cannonade, the two fleets separated.
In November 1759, in preparation for the planned invasion of England, the ship set sail for Quiberon Bay with the Brest Fleet. On November 20, she took part in the battle of Quiberon. After the defeat, during the night of November 20 to 21, the ship along with 7 other French ships of the line hauled in for the Aix island and took refuge at Rochefort.
To do: campaigns from 1760 to 1763
Characteristics
| Guns | 74
| ||||||
| Crew | 650 to 800 (815 at Quiberon) | ||||||
| Length | 165' (53.59 m.) in French feet | ||||||
| Width | 43' (13.99 m.) | ||||||
| Depth | 20' 6" (6.66 m.) | ||||||
| Displacement | 1500 British tons (1361 metric tons) |
References
Castex, Jean-Claude, Dictionnaire des batailles terrestres franco-anglaises de la Guerre de Sept Ans, Presse de l'université Laval, Québec: 2006, pp. 42-45
Clowes, Wm. Laird, The Royal Navy – A History from the Earliest Time to the Present, Vol. III, Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London: 1898, pp. 164-166
Deschênes, Ronald, Répertoire des vaisseaux de ligne français 1682-1780
N.B.: the section Service during the War is derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
