French ship Foudroyant (1693)

The Foudroyant was a French 84-gun ship of the line, built at Rochefort in 1693, and designed by François Coulomb. She was part of the fleet of Louis XIV and served in various naval engagements during the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Her armament typically consisted of:

• 28 x 36-pounder guns on the lower gun deck
• 28 x 18-pounder guns on the middle gun deck
• 28 x 8-pounder guns on the upper gun deck

Details of her career are scarce in readily available English-language sources, but she represents a typical large ship of the line of the late 17th century, built for projecting French naval power. Like many ships of the period, her fate is not widely documented and may have included being broken up, lost in battle, or succumbed to disease or accident. The name "Foudroyant" (meaning "thunderous" or "lightning") was a popular one for French warships, and later vessels also bore this name.