''Hippopotame'' was a 50-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 ...

, designed by

François Coulomb the Younger François Coulomb the Younger (La Ciotat, 1691 - Toulon, July 1751) was a French naval architect (''ingénieur-constructeur''), the son of François Coulomb the Elder. During his career, he designed 18 ships for the French Navy, and oversaw the cons ...

. She served during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. In 1777,

Pierre Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French polymath. At various times in his life, he was a watchmaker, inventor, playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, horticulturist, arms dealer, satirist ...

purchased her as part of a commercial entreprise to provide weapons of the American independentist insurgents. She was part of the French line of battle at 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 grandfather ...

on 6 July 1779, and served as a hospital during 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 ...

Career

Seven Years' War

''Hippopotame'' entered service in 1750. From 1760, she was under

Hippolyte de Sade de Vaudronne Hippolyte-Augustin de Sade de Vaudronne (3 October 1710, in Tarascon – 18 September 1780, in ''Triomphant'', off Cadiz) was a French Navy officer. He served during the War of American Independence. Biography Sade was born to a noble fami ...

. In 1763, she conducted a mission to

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, under Captain de Fabry.

Interwar period

In 1769, ''Hippopotame'' was at Saint Domingue and Martinique under Vaudreuil, along with ''Solitaire'', ferrying troops to the French colonies in the Caribbeans. She was part of the 1772

Escadre d'évolution An Escadre d'évolution (French, literally "Evolution squadron") is a squadron of warships 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 ...

under Captain Bougainvilliers de Croy.

War of American Independence

In April 1777, the Navy sold her to

Roderigue Hortalez and Company Roderigue Hortalez and Company was a corporation created by Luis de Unzaga as coordinator of interests of Spain and France in May of 1775 in order to provide arms and financial assistance to American Revolutionaries in anticipation of the American ...

, a company founded by

. He renamed her ''Fier Rodrigue'' and from 1778, he used her to ferry weapons to the American insurgents. She departed Rochefort in January 1778, sailed to Saint-Domingue and America, and was back in Rochefort on 1 October. In early 1779, she departed Rochefort to sail to Brest and Ile d'Aix. She departed Ile d'Aix around April, and sail to America. In July 1779, ''Fier Rodrigue'' was escorting a 10-ship convoy near Grenada. On 6, she encountered the fleet under d'Estaing, preparing for battle. the French Navy requisitioned her and she took part in the ensuing

. Her captain, Montault, was killed, and 22-year old auxiliary officer

Ganteaume Ganteaume is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Andy Ganteaume (1921–2016), Trinidadian cricketer *Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume (1755–1818), French Navy officer **Ganteaume's expeditions of 1801 Ganteaume's expedition ...

The requisition of ''Fier Rodrigue'' caused several ships of Beaumarchais' convoy to be captured. Beaumarchais protested and sought compensation from the French Crown. Around August 1779, ''Fier Rodrigue'' was used as a hospital ship in Charlestown, to support the

. Two month later, the Navy returned her to Beaumarchais. ''Fier Rodrigue'' called the Chesapeake and Yorktown, from where she departed on 14 August 1780, bound for Rochefort. On 1 August 1780, ''Fier Rodrigue'' arrived at

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; en, Isle of Ré, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its highe ...

, escorting a 15-ship convoy from New England, as well as two prizes captured from the British.

Fate

''Fier Rodrigue'' was condemned in march1782, and was broken up in Rochefort in 1784.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * External links * Ships of the line of the French Navy 1749 ships {{France-line-ship-stub