View source for Sceptre (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:
*1757: captain Cleveau

The ship was striken off of the fleet in 1778. 
==Service during the War==
In October 1757, the ship was part 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 [[1757-10-21 - Combat of Cap-François|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.

 To do: campaigns from 1758 to 1763
==Characteristics==

{| class="tblunout"
|+<big>'''Technical specifications'''</big>
|-
|'''Guns'''||74
{| class="tblunin"
|-
|'''Gun deck'''||28 x 36-pdrs
|-
|'''Upper gun deck'''||30 x 18-pdrs
|-
|'''Quarter deck and Forecastle'''||16 x 8-pdrs
|}
|-
|'''Crew'''||between 600 and 800 men
|-
|'''Length'''||165 feet (53.59 m.)
|-
|'''Width'''||43 feet (13.99 m.)
|-
|'''Depth'''||20 feet 6 in (6.66 m.)
|-
|'''Displacement'''||1500 tons (1361 metric tons)
|}

==References==
Blasco, Manuel, ''French 2nd Rates'', [http://3decks.pbwiki.com/ 3 Decks Wiki]

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, [http://agh.qc.ca/articles/?id=20 Répertoire des vaisseaux de ligne français 1682-1780]

[[Category:French Naval Unit]]