''Flore'' was a 32-gun frigate 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 ...

, designed by Groignard. She is notable for her scientific voyage in 1771 and 1772, where she tested

marine chronometer A marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation. It is used to determine longitude by comparing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or in the modern ...

s made by Berthoud, an important step in the History of longitude.

Career

On 29 October 1771, under Lieutenant Verdun de la Crenne, ''Flore'' departed Brest for a scientific voyage intended to test several

Marine chronometer A marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation. It is used to determine longitude by comparing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or in the modern ...

s: Berthoud's n°8, Le Roy's watches A and S, and another called "petite ronde" which was not competing for the 1773 prize, as well as further chronometers by Arsandeaux and Biesta.

Borda Borda may refer to: *Qaṣīda al-Burda, a famous Sufi poem. * Borda (building) or borde, traditional cattle farmers' buildings in the Pyrenees, a barn, sheepfold, or stable * Places in India ** Borda, Goa, a town and suburb of the city of Margao ...

and Pingré were part of the expedition. ''Flore'' called Cadiz and Tenerriffe, before continuing on to Gorée, Fort Royal, Cap français, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, and Copenhagen, before returning to Brest. ''Flore'' took part in the

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 t ...

under Castellane-Majastre, ferrying letters between Toulon and America in April 1778. On 22 October 1781, ''Flore'' departed Toulon to take part in the

Invasion of Minorca The island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea has been invaded on numerous occasions. The first recorded invasion occurred in 252 BC, when the Carthaginians arrived. The name of the island's chief city, Mahón (now Maó), appears to derive from ...

. She returned on 30 November.

Fate

''Flore'' was condemned at Toulon, and sold in 1787.

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flore (1769) Age of Sail frigates of France 1769 ships Ships built in France