French ship Artésien

Model on display at the Musée de la Marine
History
Kingdom of France
Namesake: Artois
Builder: Joseph Ollivier
Laid down: Brest, 1764
Launched: 1765
Out of service: 1785
Fate: Engineering hulk
General characteristics
Class and type: Artésien-class ship of the line
Displacement: 1260 tonnes
Length: 47 m (154 ft)
Beam: 12 m (39 ft)
Draught: 6 m (20 ft)
Armament:
  • 64 guns:
  • 26 24-pounders
  • 28 12-pounders
  • 10 6-pounders
Armour: timber

Artésien (“Artesian”) was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Estates of Artois.

Artésien was built in 1765 as a part of a series of twelve ships of the line began by Choiseul to compensate for the losses endured by the French Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War.[1] She was paid by the province of Artois and Flander, and named in its honour, according to the practice of the time.[2]

Artésien took part in the American revolutionary war under Suffren, departing in 1781. Off Cape Verde, Artésien detected an English squadron, resulting in the Battle of Porto Praya.[3]

Artésien was decommissioned in 1785 and used as a shear hulk.

A fine 1/28th scale model was used to instruct Louis XVI in naval studies. The model is now on display at the Musée de la Marine.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ (in French) Archéologie et modélisme d'arsenal
  2. ↑ (in French) Mon carnet de Bretagne
  3. ↑ (in French) Liste des régiments et vaisseaux. Théatre d'opérations : Etats-Unis 1777-1782
  • Jean Boudriot, L'Artésien, vaisseau de 64 canons 1762-1785 Neptunia Vol. 36, Paris, 1981, p. 143
  • Jean Boudriot & Hubert Berti, Les vaisseaux de 50 & 64 canons 1650 - 1780, éditions Ancre
  • (in French)
  • (in French)


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