The ''Alcide'' was a 74-gun ''Pégase'' class 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 ...

, launched in 1782. In 1782, she took part in the American war of Independence in De Grasse's fleet. She took part in the Battle of Hyères, under captain Le Blond Saint-Hilaire. She was the last ship of the French rear when she was becalmed and had to fight HMS ''Victory'', ''Culloden'', and ''Cumberland''. She managed to damage the rigging of ''Culloden'', but was quickly battered by her overwhelmingly superior opponents. She surrendered to ''Cumberland'' at 2h. The frigates ''Justice'' and ''Alceste'' attempted to take her in tow to safety, but were repelled by gunfire from ''Victory''. Soon thereafter, a fire broke out, reportedly in her tops or by her own

Heated shot Heated shot or hot shot is round shot that is heated before firing from muzzle-loading cannons, for the purpose of setting fire to enemy warships, buildings, or equipment. The use of heated shot dates back centuries; it was a powerful weapon agains ...

s. She exploded 30 minutes afterwards with the loss of 300.

References

* ''Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte française'', Jean-Michel Roch

* Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2015) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.'' Seaforth Publishing. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcide (1782) Ships of the line of the French Navy 1782 ships Ships built in France Maritime incidents in 1795 Pégase-class ships of the line Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea