The ''Héros'' ("hero") was a
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...
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 ...
, built by Joseph Chapelle at
Brest
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*Br ...
and launched on 1 September 1752.
In 1755, the ''Héros'', under captain de Kermabon, took part in the Canadian campaign in the Bullion de Montlouet squadron.
In April 1756, ''Héros'' sailed from Brest, armed
en flute
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, and under the command of Captain
Beaussier de Lisle. She was part of a squadron of three transports and three frigates taking troops to
Fort Louisbourg and supplies to Ile Royale during the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
. In 1756, Beaussier de Lisle brought six ships to
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
carrying
Montcalm and 1,300 troops as reinforcements. On 26 July 1756, homeward bound, as ''Héros'' was leaving Louisbourg, she encountered two English ships. In the ensuing engagement, the British were repelled. However, Beaussier de Lisle was wounded.
On 14 November 1759, ''Héros'' sortied from Brest with the squadron under the command of marechal de Conflans. The squadron consisted of 20 transports and five frigates, and was attempting to land troops at
Comouailles. Six days later the squadron encountered Admiral Hawke's 29 vessels outside Quiberon. During the
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' in French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast ...
, ''Héros'' attempted to escape but was wrecked off
le Croisic
Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label= Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire.
History
The United States Navy established a naval air station o ...
and scuttled. On 21 November the English set fire to the wreck.
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heros (1750)
Ships of the line of the French Navy
Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay
1752 ships
Maritime incidents in 1759