1796 - 118-gun Commerce de Marseille under British Eyes

Three years ago, an Anglo-Spanish fleet under Admiral Samuel Hood's command brought troops to the city of Toulon, where an uprising against the French Republic had broken out. The French fleet was caught in port. There were 31 ships of the line, 13 frigates, 11 corvettes and 2 brigs in the harbour, under construction, under refit or active - a heavy blow to the French navy which did not cost any military effort to Hood's fleet.

¤ The war had broken out three months earlier. France was facing the coalition of all neighbouring countries. The French navy had 65 ships of the line then, the British navy 130, 21 of which participated in Hood's intervention at Toulon, the Spanish navy around 30, out of which 17 joined Hood's fleet.

General Jacques François Coquille, better known as Dugommier, 55 then, assisted by young General Napoléon Bonaparte, 24 then, retook Toulon in December 1793. A few French ships, manned by Royalist crews, could nevertheless flee the harbour before the arrival of the Republican troops - among them the 118-gun three-decker Commerce de Marseille.

¤ The other ships that escaped were three 74-gun two-deckers, six frigates carrying from 32 to 40 guns, seven corvettes carrying from 18 to 26 guns, a brig. They were all incorporated into the British navy, but a frigate to the Sardinians, and a corvette to the Spaniards.

¤ Before the arrival of the French Republican troops, the coalition forces succeeded in destroying one 80-gun two-decker, seven 74-gun two-deckers, two frigates, and two corvettes. All in all, France lost twelve ships of the line owing to city uprising, not to mention the damaged ones it has had to repair afterwards.

The giant Commerce de Marseille was the lead ship of a new class designed in 1785 by Jacques-Noël Sané, 56 by now, whose designs were also chosen for the new standard 74 in 1782 and for the new standard 80 in 1787. Jean-Charles de Borda, 63, a naval officer and a renowned scholar, is said to have been involved to some extent in fruitful Sané's design process of the 1780s.

¤ Antoine Groignard, 69 by now, designer of the 110-gun three-decker Bretagne (1766) could have been the designer for the new class of giant ships. He produced a design in 1782 for two units, ultimately cancelled when peace was signed between Britain and France. Moreover France dramatically lacked money to build those three-deckers. Once again, as it had been the case after the disastrous Seven Years war, some ships were paid by regional institutions under patriotic impulse - the very case of Commerce de Marseille.

¤ After Commerce de Marseille, a second ship, États de Bourgogne, renamed Océan lately, was launched in 1790 at Brest dockyard. A third, Dauphin Royal, renamed Orient lately, was launched at Toulon dockyard in 1791. Six extra units were ordered, two being currently under construction, that are Vengeur at Rochefort and République Française at Brest. The four others haven't been laid down for now.

¤ Prior to Commerce de Marseille, the largest ship in the world was the Spanish Nostra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad, designed by Matthew Mullan, Mateo Mullán in Spanish style, an Irishman working for Spain. She was launched at Havana dockyard in 1769. Originally a 116-gun three-decker, it has surfaced lately as a 130-gun four-decker, the first of this sort worldwide, by closing in the spardeck between the forecastle and the quarterdeck. She is 201-foot long at the gun deck and 53-foot broad. She displaces 4,950 tons at full load and carries thirty 36-pounders, thirty-two 24-pounders, thirty-two 12-pounders and thirty-six 8-pounders as she currently is. She has revealed to be slow and sluggish once transformed, hence her nickname of Ponderoso.

¤ On its own side, Britain has three 100-gun three-deckers, namely Victory (1765), Royal Sovereign (1786) and Royal George (1788), and a 110-gun three-decker, Ville de Paris (1795). The latter ship is 190-ffot long at the gun deck, 53-foot broad and 22¼-foot deep for a 2,350-ton tonnage. Designed by John Henslow, 66, Surveyor of the Navy since 1784, she is a mighty ship. She carries thirty 32-pounders, thirty 24-pounders, thirty-two 18-pounders, and eighteen 12-pounders and could certainly face the Spanish giant or the French one.

Commerce de Marseille is 209½-foot long at the gun deck, 53¼-foot broad and 26¾-foot deep. She displaces 5,100 tons at full load for a tonnage assessed at 2,800 tons. She carries 35,000 square feet of canvas and can sail at ten knots in a fresh breeze under her topsails, at eleven before the wind in a moderate breeze - outstanding performances for such a heavy ship. She is armed with thirty-two 36-pounders, thirty-four 24-pounders, thirty-four 12-pounders, eighteen 8-pounders.

¤ In comparison, Révolutionnaire, ex-Bretagne, stricken after the last winter campaign as her hulk was leaking with no hope of repair, displayed 200 tons less in tonnage and 500 tons less in displacement. She was 198-foot long at the gun deck, and 53-foot broad. She carried 30,600 square feet of canvas. She was the first, it seems, to be fitted with a few 'obusiers de vaisseau' - light and short brass 36-pound howitzers appeared in 1793 and supposed to respond the British carronades by sending bombshells at short range.

¤ In comparison too, Victory, known to be a good sailer, is reported to sail at eight knots in a fresh breeze, up to nine in a gale, eleven before the wind in a strong breeze. Royal Sovereign, the best sailer amongst the British three-deckers, has been reported at twelve knots before the wind in a strong breeze. Commerce de Marseille proved to be a better sailer than Royal Sovereign in moderate weather but it is outstanding that Victory and Royal Sovereign are able to carry full sails in strong breeze so that they can reach high speeds.

¤ Océan, which is the second ship in the 118-gun class, is said to be even superior in every respect - speed handling, weatherliness - to its elder sistership. To sum up, the French giant vessels are fast, weatherly and very easy in handling in comparison with the British ones, but trade off their qualities against a relative lack of stability (that results in rolling more than the British vessels to the detriment of gun aiming) and a relative lack of strength (that results in being less able to carry their sails when the breeze turns strong).

Very experienced Captain Smith Child, 66, has been given command of Commerce de Marseille last year to transport 1,100 soldiers with their stores and armament, including artillery, to the West Indies. The report that he delivered afterwards is laudatory of ship qualities. It contains the answers to the 14 specific questions of the Admiralty's query on ship's dimensions and behaviour. It seems that sea officers' opinions have been in line with Child's one amongst those who witnessed the ship sailing.

The dockyard officers at the ship base at Plymouth have delivered a discordant opinion. They first complained about the dimensions of the ship, considered as too large to comply with port facilities, and with mooring plan. Afterwards they also, much more genuinely, observed that her scantlings were weak according to British standards in shipbuilding. It is true. This is even a deliberate turn, so to speak, as the French look for fastness and agility, and rightly consider that weatherliness is a worthy tactical advantage, hence they partly sacrifice strength to these qualities. The officers also found that her timber were not properly seasoned. It is true too. That weakness has been definitive so has sentenced Commerce de Marseille to a humble role off the line, as a prison ship.

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IN REPROSPECT FROM TODAY

Note A - On the 118-gun class, which will number fifteen ships completed

Out of the first three, Océan will be rebuilt to improve her strength in 1801-1802. Afterwards she has an amazingly extended career until 1854 - the longest career of a ship of the line. On her own, Orient, Bruix' flagship, blows up at the battle of the Nile (1798).

Out of the six ships ordered in the 1790s after the three ordered in the 1780s, two only will be built : République Française, launched in 1802, renamed Majestueux in 1803, and Vengeur, launched in 1803, renamed Impérial in 1805. She grounds and is burnt at the battle of Santo Domingo (1806). On her own, Majestueux sails until 1839.

In the 1800s and 1810s, eleven extra ships, stronger in their scantlings, are ordered : Austerlitz, launched in 1808, Marengo, launched as late as 1850 as Ville-de-Paris, Wagram, launched in 1810, Impérial, launched in 1811, renamed Royal Louis in 1815, Montebello, launched in 1812, Louis XIV, launched as late as 1854, Sans Pareil, broken up in 1816 while she is still on the ways, Héros, launched in 1813, Friedland, launched as late as 1840, Souverain, launched in 1819, and Trocadéro, launched in 1824.

Note B - On the reduction to a class of 110-gun ships, which will number two ships completed

Sané designs a reduced three-decker named Commerce-de-Paris in 1804. She is 10-foot shorter so accordingly loses two guns on each gun deck. She is launched in 1806. Eight other vessels are ordered in the 1800s. Only one, Iéna, is launched in 1814. Four other are laid down but broken up on the ways in 1814.

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SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brian Lavery - The Ship of the Line - London, 1983

Jean-Michel Roche - Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la Flotte de Guerre française de Colbert à nos jours - chez l'auteur, 2005

Rif Winfield & Stephen S. Roberts - french warships in the age of sail 1786-1861 - Barnsley, 2015