The French ship Foudroyant (1693) was a First‑rank ship of the line of the French Royal Navy, armed with 104 guns. She was built at the Brest Dockyard and served during the late 17th and early 18th centuries before being broken up in 1714.
Design and construction
- Builder: Blaise Pangalo, Brest Dockyard
- Laid down: April 1693
- Launched: 14 November 1693
- Completed: 1694
- Tonnage: 2 200 tons (French measurement)
- Dimensions: 166 French feet (length) × 46 French feet (beam) × 26 French feet (draught) × 21½ French feet (depth of hold)
- Complement: Approximately 900 crew members, plus 12–15 officers
- Armament (as built): 28 × 36‑pounder guns (lower deck), 30 × 18‑pounder guns (middle deck), 28 × 12‑pounder guns (upper deck), 12 × 6‑pounder guns (quarterdeck), 6 × 6‑pounder guns (forecastle). In 1706 two extra 12‑pounders were added to the upper deck and two 6‑pounders were removed.
Naming history
The vessel was originally ordered on 20 January 1693 to bear the name Soleil Royal as a replacement for the previous ship of that name destroyed at Cherbourg in June 1692. Étienne Hubac, who had rebuilt the earlier Soleil Royal, petitioned King Louis XIV to assign the prestigious name to his own ship, arguing that it was larger and more suitable. The King agreed on 1 March 1693, and the names of Hubac’s ship and Pangalo’s vessel were exchanged. Consequently, Pangalo’s ship was laid down under the name Foudroyant (“Thunderbolt”).
Service record
- Battle of Vélez‑Málaga (24 August 1704): Served as the flagship of Amiral de France Louis‑Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, participating in the major fleet action of the War of the Spanish Succession.
- Scuttling (July 1707): Ordered to be scuttled at Toulon to prevent destruction by English bombardment. The ship was later refloated.
Fate
The vessel was condemned in March 1713 and subsequently dismantled during 1714.
References
- Roche, Jean‑Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671‑1870, p. 223.
- Demerliac, Alain. Nomenclature des Vaisseaux du Roi‑Soleil de 1661 à 1715.
- Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen (2017). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626‑1786: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing.
The name “Foudroyant” derives from the French word for “thunderbolt” or “lightning”, reflecting the intended impression of speed and overwhelming power.