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Jean-Georges Du Croiset De Retz
Gaspard de Ligondès was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence. Biography Retz was born to a family from Auvergne. He joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1741. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1756, to Commander in 1767, to Captain in 1772. In 1779, Retz captained the 64-gun ''Vengeur'', part of the division under De Grasse sent to D'Estaing as reinforcement. Retz was wounded at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779, and took part in the Siege of Savannah in September and October 1779. He also fought in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780, where ''Vengeur'', along with ''Destin'' and ''Saint Michel'', directly engaged the much stronger ''Sandwich'', under Rodney, HMS ''Cornwall'' and HMS ''Suffolk''. In 1781, Retz captained the 74-gun ''Zodiaque'' in Brest. In 1782, he transferred to ''Robuste''. The same year, he was promoted to Brigadier. Retz retired from the Navy with the rank of Chef d'Escadre ''Chef d'escadre'' (; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Of American Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of the United States, fighting began on April 19, 1775, followed by the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, and the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriots were supported by the Kingdom of France and, to a lesser extent, the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Empire, in a conflict taking place in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Established by royal charter in the 17th and 18th centuries, the American colonies were largely autonomous in domestic affairs and commercially prosperous, trading with Britain and its British West Indies, Caribbean colonies, as well as other European powers via their Caribbean entrepôts. After British vic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. It is often claimed that he was the commander to have pioneered the tactic of breaking the line. Rodney came from a distinguished but poor background, and went to sea at the age of fourteen. His first major action was the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747. He made a large amount of prize money during the 1740s, allowing him to purchase a large country estate and a seat in the House of Commons of Great Britain. During the Seven Years' War, Rodney was involved in a number of amphibious operations such as the raids on Rochefort and Le Havre and the Siege of Louisbourg. He became well known for his role in the capture of Martinique in 1762. Following the Peace of Paris, Rodney's financial situation sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chef D'Escadre
''Chef d'escadre'' (; literally "squadron commander") was a rank in the French Navy during the Ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. The rank was changed to '' contre-amiral'' by a law passed on 15 May 1791. History The first chefs d'escadre were created by Louis XIII in 1627 - he had a "chef d'escadre of Normandy" commanding the port of Le Havre, a chef d'escadre of Brittany commanding Brest, and a chef d'escadre of Guyenne commanding Brouage. Each of these chefs d'escadres, as officiers d'épée, were flanked by a commissaire général, an officier de plume. Their numbers grew rapidly: in 1635 a chef d'escadre of Provence was created, then in 1647 a chef d'escadre for Flanders, in 1663 one for Poitou-Saintonge, in 1673 one for Picardy and one for Languedoc, in 1689 one for Aunis, in 1701 one for America, and in 1707 one for Roussillon. After 1715, there were more chefs d'escadre than there were coastal provinces, and so they started taking the title "chefs d'esc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brigadier Des Armées Navales
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In other countries, it is a non-commissioned rank. Origins and history The word and rank of "Brigadier" originates from France. In the French Army, the Brigadier des Armées du Roi (Brigadier of the King's Armies) was a general officer rank, created in 1657. It was an intermediate between the rank of Mestre de camp and that of Maréchal de camp. The rank was first created in the cavalry at the instigation of Marshal Turenne on June 8, 1657, then in the infantry on March 17, 1668, and in the dragoons on April 15, 1672. In peacetime, the brigadier commanded his regiment and, in maneuvers or in wartime, he commanded two or three - or even four - regiments combined to form a brigade (including his own, but later the rank was also awarded to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Ship Robuste (1758)
''Robuste'' was an 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, built by Antoine Groignard. Career Initially intended as a 64-gun ship, ''Robuste'' was built in the Lorient shipyard of the French East India Company. She was launched on 2 September 1758, and admitted to active service in April 1759. On 18 November 1759, she collided with frigate ''Hébé''. In June 1777, she was under Lamotte-Picquet, and received the visit of Emperor Joseph II. On 14 February 1778, ''Robuste'' fired a nine-gun salute for USS ''Ranger'', marking the first time a foreign warship recognised the US flag. ''Robuste'' took part in the campaign in 1779 and 1780 as De Grasse's flagship. She was notably at the Battle of Grenada. In 1780, she was under Chateauvert. In July 1782, under Nieuil, she was part of the Franco-Spanish fleet under Córdova. She took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel The Battle of Cape Spartel was an indecisive naval battle between a Franco-Spanish fleet under Ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Ship Zodiaque (1756)
''Zodiaque'' was a 74-gun of the French Navy. Career Seven Years' War In 1757, ''Zodiaque'' was under d'Aché. on 5 June, she helped capture a British corvette. She took part in the Battle of Pondicherry on 10 September 1759. In 1760, she was under La Tullaye at Isle de France. Interwar In 1776, ''Zodiaque'' was under Du Chaffault, as flagship of his division in the Escadre d'évolution that year. War of American Independence In 1778, ''Zodiaque'' was in the First Division of the White squadron in the fleet under Orvilliers. She took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778 under La Porte Vézins, with Cicé-Champion as first officer. The year after, she was attached to the Armada of 1779. In 1780, ''Zodiaque'' was under Roquefeuil-Montpeyroux. On 6 June, she and ''Néréide'' captured the 10-gun British privateer cutter ''Prince of Wales''. In 1781, ''Zodiaque'' was at Brest under Retz. In 1782, ''Zodiaque'' was first under Senneville, and later under L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-developed 64-gun ships. Impressed with the performance of several captured French seventy-fours, the British Royal Navy quickly adopted similar designs, classing them as third rates. The type then spread to the Spanish, Dutch, Danish and Russian navies. The design was considered a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities. Hundreds of seventy-fours were constructed, becoming the dominant form of ship-of-the-line. They remained the mainstay of most major fleets into the early 19th century. From the 1820s, they began to be replaced by larger two-decked ships mounting more guns. However some seventy-fours remained in service until the late 19th century, when they were finally supplanted by ironclads. Standardising on a common ship s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Suffolk (1765)
HMS ''Suffolk'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 February 1765 at Rotherhithe. She was designed by William Bateley, based on the principles of his earlier , and was the only ship built to her draught. Service history ''Suffolk'' under command of Rear Admiral Joshua Rowley saw action off Guadeloupe island on the night of 21–22 December 1779 when three French frigates, ''La Fortunée'' (42 guns), ''La Blanche'' (36 guns), and ''L'Ellis'' (28 guns) were captured. On 4 May 1794 Captain Peter Rainier, with ''Suffolk'', a 64-gun ship, and four or five frigates, undertook to escort a convoy to India. In November they arrived at Madras. In July, ''Suffolk'', now under Captain Robert Lambert, , and transports, sailed from Madras, joined en route by , for Ceylon to take Trincomalee and other Dutch settlements on the island. On 16 February 1796 Rear-admiral Peter Rainier arrived with a squadron, including ''Suffolk'', off Amboyna, on the D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Cornwall (1761)
HMS ''Cornwall'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 May 1761 at Deptford. The ship was named in honour of James Cornewall, who had been killed at the battle of Toulon in 1744, and was initially commanded by his cousin Frederick Cornewall who lost an arm in the same engagement. She served in the English Channel until the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763. After service as a guard ship at Plymouth, she was sent to North America to serve in the American Revolutionary War. May, 1778 under command of Capt. Timothy Edwards. She arrived in New York on 30 July 1779 and just ten days later was in a confrontation with the French Navy. Later that year she was deployed to the West Indies where she was badly damaged in action off Grenada and again off Martinique in 1780. She was sent to St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously cal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Sandwich (1759)
HMS ''Sandwich'' was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 April 1759 at Chatham. Design and construction ''Sandwich'' was a 90-gun second-rate ''Sandwich''-class ship of the line. The class, of which ''Sandwich'' was the name ship, was designed by naval architect Thomas Slade. It was a stretched version of the standard design for a British 90-gun ship, allowing extra long guns to be placed on the gundecks of the ships, meaning that the quarterdeck had to hold less guns and the sailing qualities of the ships were improved. The design was approved for use on 12 November 1755. ''Sandwich'' had already been ordered by this point, having been done so on 28 October to Chatham Dockyard, where the ship would be built by shipwright John Lock. ''Sandwich'' was laid down on 14 April 1756 and launched on 15 April 1759 with the following dimensions: along the upper deck, at the keel, with a beam of and a depth in the hold of . The ship measured 1,869 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garde-Marine
In France, under the Ancien Régime, the Gardes de la Marine (Guards of the Navy), or Gardes-Marine were young gentlemen undergoing training to be naval officers. The training program was established by Cardinal Richelieu in 1670 and lasted until Admiral de Castries abolished it in 1786. The Gardes-Marine received a brevet commission from the King and were organized into companies, established at the harbors of Brest, Toulon, and Rochefort. All naval officers were drawn from these companies, which were the equivalent of the current naval school. The king paid schoolmasters to instruct the Gardes-Marine in everything they needed to know to be good officers - there were masters in mathematics, drawing, writing, fortification, naval architecture and construction, dance, hydrography, fencing, etc. The Gardes-Marine sailed on the king's ships, on which they served as soldiers, and trained in all roles on board. At sea they honed the skills they had learned ashore. Their training, in coo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Ship Saint Michel (1741)
''Saint Michel'' was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ..., lead ship of Saint Michel class ship of the line, her class. Career Built for the Crown, ''Saint Michel'' was originally manned by officers of the French East India Company. During the War of the Austrian Succession, ''Saint Michel'' was part of a squadron under Admiral François-César de Vimeur de Rochambeau, de Rochambeau; on 17 August 1744, she captured the 20-gun near Gibraltar. In 1747, her command was transferred to Navy officers. In 1761, she was recommissioned in Rochefort under Captain de Lizardais to serve in the Seven Years' War, to serve in the Caribbean theatre, but she never actually departed. She was then refitted as a 60 gun ship in 1762. Durin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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