''Hector'' was a 74-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 ...

, lead ship of her class. ''Hector'' was launched in 1755 and fought in the

American Revolutionary War 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 ...

during which she captured two ships of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

on 14 August 1778. In 1782, the ship was captured by the Royal Navy at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

in 1782. Taken into service by the Royal Navy, the vessel was renamed HMS ''Hector''. On 5 September 1782. HMS ''Hector'' fought two French frigates. Severely damaged during the battle, and by a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

that followed later in September, ''Hector'' sank on 4 October 1782.

Career

French service

''Hector'' was launched on 23 July 1755, and commissioned under Captain Vilarzel d'Hélie. In 1757, the vessel departed

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

on 18 March, arriving in

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

on 15 June. Returning to

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

on 23 November with 5,000 sick aboard, she spread

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

to the town; Épidémie de typhus à Brest en 1757
wiki-brest.net the ensuing epidemic caused 10,000 fatalities. She was then decommissioned and stayed in the reserve in Brest. In July 1762, while cruising off

Cap Français A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

, she struck the bottom on a rock. The same spot had been the site of the wreck of on 17 March of the same year. Between 1763 and 1777, she was decommissioned in Toulon. During the

, she reactivated, sailing to

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in July 1778. She arrived at Newport on 8 August 1778. On 14 August 1778, ''Hector'' and the 64-gun captured the 8-gun bomb vessel HMS ''Thunder''. The same day, she also captured the 16-gun HMS ''Senegal'' at

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

. In 1778, she was part of the fleet under

Admiral d'Estaing Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French general and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the ...

, under Captain Moriès-Castellet, and

Clavières Clavières (; oc, Clavèiras) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Cantal department The following is a list of the 246 communes of the Cantal department of France. Inter ...

as first officer. ''Hector'' then took part in the

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfath ...

on 6 July 1779 and in the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

, before returning to Brest, arriving on 10 December 1779. She was

laid up in ordinary A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; ...

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

on 21 December 1799, before rearming. On 1 September 1780, she departed Brest under

Louis Augustin de Monteclerc Louis Augustin de Monteclerc (La Rongère, Maine, 1727 – 25 March 1784) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence. Biography Monteclerc joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1743. Monteclerc was promoted to ...

for a cruise, returning on 31 December. The year after, she took part in the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

on 5 September 1781, under Renaud d'Aleins. During the

, from 9 to 12 April 1782, she battled and and was captured. Her captain, Lavicomté, died in the action.

British service

The British took her to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, where she was repaired and recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Hector''. She took part in the

action of 5 September 1782 The action of 5 September 1782 took place during the American War of Independence between two French Navy frigates, ''Aigle'' and ''Gloire'', and a lone British 74-gun ship of the line HMS ''Hector''. In a two-day battle, the two frigates sev ...

, where she was damaged by the frigates and . Much damaged in this action and after suffering the 1782 Central Atlantic hurricane of 17 September, she sank on 4 October 1782. The privateer ''Hawke'' saved 200 of her crew.

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hector (1756)

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Captured ships 1755 ships Ships built in France Maritime incidents in 1782 Ships of the line of the Royal Navy