French ship Zélé (1763)
The Zélé was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Régisseur général des finances. [1]
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}   France | |
| Name | Zélé [1] |
| Namesake | "Zealous" |
| Ordered | 9 December 1761 [1] |
| Builder | Toulon (plans by Coulomb) [1] |
| Laid down | February 1762 [1] |
| Launched | 1 July 1763 [1] |
| In service | 1764 |
| Out of service | 1806 |
| Fate | Broken up 1806 |
| Notes | Offered by the receveurs généraux des finances |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 2,900 tonnes |
| Tons burthen | 1,500 tons |
| Length | 55.39 m (181.7 ft) |
| Beam | 14.13 m (46.4 ft) |
| Draught | 6.71 m (22.0 ft) |
| Depth of hold | 6.98 m (22.9 ft) |
| Armament | |
| Armour | Timber |
Career
On 6 July 1779, she participated in the Battle of Grenada as a member of the Vanguard. Under Bruyères-Chalabre, she was part of the French blockade during Siege of Savannah in 1779.[2]
In 1781 and 1782, was part of de Grasse's fleet in the naval operations in the American Revolutionary War. She took part in the Invasion of Tobago in May 1781 and in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781.[3] under Charles-René de Gras-Préville.[4]
In the night of 11 to 12 April 1782, Zélé collided with Ville de Paris, damaging Zélé which had to be taken in tow to repair at Martinique.[3] This precipitated the French disorganisation and subsequent defeat in the Battle of the Saintes later that day.[5]
Zélé was broken up in May 1806. [1]
Citations
- Roche (2005), p. 223.
- Gardiner (1905), p. 121.
- Contenson (1934), p. 186.
- Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 635.
- Troude (1867), p. 149.
References
- Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
- Demerliac, Alain (1995). La Marine de Louis XV: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1715 à 1774 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN 2-906381-19-5.
- Gardiner, Asa Bird (1905). The order of the Cincinnati in France. Rennes: The Rhode Island state society of Cincinnati. p. 121.
- Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. pp. 431–434.
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 223. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
- Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen S (2017). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626–1786: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-4738-9351-1.