The ''Foudroyant'' ("Lightning") was a 80-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 ...

. She was started in

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

from 1793, and renamed to ''Dix-huit fructidor'' in 1798 in honour of the

Coup of 18 fructidor an V The Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V (4 September 1797 in the French Republican Calendar), was a seizure of power in France by members of the Directory, the government of the French First Republic, with support from the French military. The coup w ...

, as she was still on keel but reverted to ''Foudroyant'' in February 1800. She took part in cruises in the Caribbean under

Villaret de Joyeuse Louis-Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (29 May 1747Granier, p.87Some biographers give a date of 1750 (Levot, p.541). Granier quotes the registers of Sainte-Marie parish. – 24 July 1812Levot, p.544) was a French admiral. Villaret was born at Auch ...

. On 15 September 1806, while under

jury rig In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...

some off

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, she encountered , under Captain

Charles Lydiard Charles Lydiard ( fl. 13 May 1780 – 29 December 1807) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Lydiard's origins are obscure, but he joined the navy in 1780 and rose through the ra ...

. ''Anson'', mistakenly believing ''Foudroyant'' distressed, attacked, and was driven off. She took part in the

Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in t ...

. She was eventually broken up in 1834.

References

External links

Les bâtiments ayant porté le nom de Foudroyant

1809 - Fouras (17) - La bataille des brûlots à bord du vaisseau "le Régulus"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foudroyant (1799) Ships of the line of the French Navy Tonnant-class ships of the line Ships built in France 1799 ships