''Bucentaure'' was an 86-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

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 ...

, and the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of her class. She was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of Vice-Admiral Latouche Tréville, who died on board on 18 August 1804. Trafalgar-Mayer mg 0586

''Bucentaure'' was named after the mighty Venetian ship ''

Bucentaur The bucentaur ( ; ''bucintoro'' in Italian and Venetian) was the state barge of the doges of Venice. It was used every year on Ascension Day (''Festa della Sensa'') up to 1798 to take the doge out to the Adriatic Sea to perform the " Marriage ...

'' which was destroyed by

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

after the

fall of the Republic of Venice The fall of the Republic of Venice was a series of events that culminated on 12 May 1797 in the dissolution and dismemberment of the Republic of Venice at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte and Habsburg Austria. In 1796, the young general Napoleon ...

in 1797. Vice-Admiral Villeneuve hoisted his flag on 6 November 1804. ''Bucentaure'' hosted the Franco-Spanish war council while sheltered from the British fleet at Cadiz. The vote was to remain in safe waters (a decision later overruled by Admiral Villeneuve) During the council, Spanish general Escaño complained that the atmospheric pressure was descending (a sign of approaching storms). French vice-admiral Magon famously retorted "the thing descending here is braveness". This offended Admiral Gravina and other Spanish officers who did not oppose later the imprudent order of taking to sea. At the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

, on 21 October 1805, she was commanded by Captain

Jean-Jacques Magendie Jean-Jacques Magendie (21 May 1766 in Bordeaux – 26 March 1835 in Paris) was a French Navy officer. He famously captained the flagship ''Bucentaure'' at the Battle of Trafalgar. Biography Early career Magendie joined the French Royal Navy i ...

. Admiral

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

's , leading the weather column of the British fleet, broke the French line just astern of ''Bucentaure'' and just ahead of . ''Victory'' raked her less-protected stern and the vessel lost 197 men and 85 were wounded (including Captain Magendie); the surgeon on board was Dr. Textoris, the squadron's Chief Medical Officer. Admiral Villeneuve was lucky to survive, but this effectively put ''Bucentaure'' out of most of the fight. After three hours of fighting, she surrendered to Captain James Atcherly of the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

from . Villeneuve is supposed to have asked to whom he was surrendering. On being told it was Captain Pellew, he replied, "There is no shame in surrendering to the gallant Sir

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother ...

." When he was informed that the ''Conqueror''s captain (

Israel Pellew Admiral Sir Israel Pellew, KCB, RN (25 August 1758 – 19 July 1832), was an English naval officer who spent his career under the shadow of his more successful older brother Edward Pellew. Early naval service Pellew first went to sea aboard ...

) was Sir Edward's brother, he said, "England is fortunate to have two such brothers." In the following days, ''Bucentaure''s crew rose up against the prize crew and recaptured the ship. However, she was wrecked in the gale-force storm of 23 October 1805. Corbett, 1905 pp.435 & 440

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bucentaure Ships of the line of the French Navy Ships built in France Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Bucentaure-class ships of the line 1803 ships Maritime incidents in 1805 Captured ships Napoleonic-era ships